What is holding back Cyprus's Schengen ambitions?

Together with Ireland , Cyprus is currently the only member of the European Union not to be part of Europe's border-free travel zone. After years of preparations and the implementation of 120 technical recommendations, Nicosia received a positive assessment from the European Commission in July, confirming its technical readiness. The recommendations, issued as part of EU evaluations dating back to 2021, covered areas including border controls, visa policy, access to European security databases and police cooperation. Their implementation required technological upgrades as well as legislative and administrative reforms.