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Cyprus is pushing for a December discussion on its entry into the Schengen travel zone, with President Nikos Christodoulides in Brussels on Thursday for European Council meetings and talks with fellow EU leaders.
The technical work has been completed, the president said, leaving the final political decisions as the next step toward full membership.
“All technical processing has already been completed, and we hope that the issue will be discussed in the competent council in December so that the final political decisions can be taken,” he said.
Christodoulides said he would raise Cyprus’ application with his counterparts, following discussions with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
His comments put December in focus as a potential milestone. They do not amount to confirmation that membership has been approved or that border arrangements will change that month.
Energy bills also on the agenda
Alongside Schengen, Christodoulides is seeking greater EU flexibility for governments to introduce national measures against high energy costs.
He also backed a further postponement of ETS 2, the EU’s separate carbon-pricing system covering fuels used in buildings, road transport, and some other sectors.
“Our request is simple and clear,” he said, calling for more room to support households and businesses through the prolonged energy crisis.
The president will also raise the Greece-Cyprus electricity interconnector, known as the GSI, stressing its energy, economic, and geopolitical importance. He said he would challenge what he described as Turkey’s illegal efforts concerning the project, including its cooperation memorandum with the Turkish Cypriot administration in the north.
Budget agreement before year-end
On the EU’s next long-term budget, Christodoulides called for a political agreement by the end of the year, warning that delays would make negotiations harder.
Cyprus supports stronger European spending on defense, security, competitiveness, and migration, he said, but wants to protect agricultural and regional development funding.
He also offered Cyprus as an operational and training hub for a planned EU mission in Lebanon, pointing to the island’s proximity and its CYCLOPS training center.
For Cyprus, however, one of the clearest dates to emerge from his Brussels remarks was December, when the government hopes its Schengen application will reach the table for political decisions.
