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Cyprus has completed its participation in the European Union’s Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism, a scheme designed to ease migration pressures on member states located at the EU’s external borders.
According to the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection and the Asylum Service, a total of 3,039 applicants for international protection were transferred from Cyprus to other EU countries under the programme. The relocations were financed through the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.
The mechanism was created to assist frontline countries experiencing high numbers of migrant arrivals. Among the five Mediterranean states taking part, Cyprus recorded the largest number of relocations. The participating countries were Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain.
Authorities said the programme’s completion reflected close cooperation between the Republic of Cyprus, the European Commission, the European Union Agency for Asylum, the International Organization for Migration and the EU member states that accepted relocated applicants.
The Deputy Ministry added that Cyprus will continue working with its European partners through solidarity and responsibility-sharing arrangements introduced under the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, which came into effect on June 12, 2026.
