In the 16th Meeting of the Intergovernmental Conference for Cyprus Accession to the EU of 19 April 2002, Cyprus became the first country to open the negotiations on the Chapter of Institutions, which deals with the participation of the country in the Institutions of the Union. Following the provisional closure of another three chapters (including the one of Institutions which had just been opened for negotiations) during the 16th Meeting, Cyprus has provisionally closed the 27 out of the 30 chapters now under negotiation.

The Chapters still under negotiation are Agriculture, Competition Policy and Budgetary and other Financial Provisions. Upon completion of the negotiations on these three chapters and their provisional closure in the next few months, the remaining chapter (Other) will be negotiated and will include whatever could not be incorporated under all the other chapters.

The Chapters provisionally closed are:

Science and Research (RTD)
Education, Vocational Training and Youth
Culture and Audio-Visual Policy
Industrial Policy
Small and Medium-Sized Undertakings
Telecommunications and Information Technologies
Consumers and Health Protection
Statistics
Customs Union
External Relations
Economic and Monetary Union
Fisheries
Company Law
Social Policy and Employment
Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)
Financial Control
Free Movement of Goods
Free Movement of Capital
Freedom to Provide Services
Transport Policy
Energy
Free Movement of Persons
Environment
Justice and Home Affairs
Taxation
Regional Policy / Structural Instruments
Institutions