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The European Parliament’s Petitions Committee (PETI) has rejected a proposal for a fact-finding mission to the occupied city of Famagusta in the first half of 2026, officials said, highlighting the political sensitivity of the area.
According to an article by Kathimerini’s Pavlos Xanthoulis, the mission, initially proposed by the European People’s Party (EPP), which includes Cyprus’s ruling DISY party, aimed to assess the impact of Turkey’s partial reopening of the fenced-off city and recent announcements by Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar regarding its expansion.
Sources said the EPP later withdrew support for its own proposal, instead backing PETI missions to Almaraz, Spain, and Guadeloupe, France. The European Left was reportedly the only group to advocate for a mission to Famagusta.
Famagusta Mayor Simos Ioannou had urged PETI to act, warning that “the situation on the ground continues to deteriorate” and that Turkey’s actions, combined with violations of UN and EU resolutions, threaten broader prospects for peace and reunification in Cyprus.
PETI missions are limited in political impact, issuing non-binding reports rather than enforceable resolutions. A new request could still be submitted for the second half of 2026, but EU sources described such a mission as “an extremely difficult undertaking” unlikely to be approved.
