Τhe European Parliament approved on Tuesday a report by MEP Peter Kofod on the application of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in the area of Schengen Information System in Cyprus.

According to the report, on 28 May 2019, Cyprus declared its willingness and commitment to apply all parts of the Schengen acquis and to be subject to Schengen evaluations, to the extent possible considering the special circumstances of Cyprus as recognised in Protocol 10 to the 2003 Act of Accession.

A Council Regulation establishing an evaluation and monitoring mechanism to verify the application of the Schengen acquis provides for Schengen evaluation procedures.

The Schengen evaluation in the area of the Schengen Information System (SIS) can only take place when the SIS has been put into operation in Cyprus, it is added. 

The position of the rapporteur is that the entry into force of the Council Decision should allow for SIS data to be transferred to Cyprus. The use of the SIS data in Cyprus should allow the Commission to verify, in accordance with the Schengen evaluation procedures, that the provisions concerning the SIS are being applied correctly, it is added.

“Certain restrictions on the use of the SIS in Cyprus will be imposed until the Council has decided on the full application of the Schengen acquis in Cyprus and on the lifting of checks at the crossing points between the areas of the Republic of Cyprus in which the Government of the Republic of Cyprus exercises effective control and the areas in which it does not. Such Decision shall only be taken when it has been verified that the necessary conditions for the application of all parts of the relevant acquis have been met in Cyprus in accordance with Article 3(2) of the 2003 Act of Accession” the report says.

It is added that “in light of recent challenges facing Cyprus, namely a surge of illegal migrants arriving guided by smugglers from the northern part of its territory and in view of the fact that they illegally cross the 184 kilometre long so called Green Line, bypassing any checks at the crossing points between the areas of the Republic of Cyprus in which the Government of the Republic of Cyprus exercises effective control and the areas in which it does not, the Rapporteur considers it paramount for Cyprus authorities to be able to verify information in the SIS.”

As a result, it is noted, border control and law enforcement authorities will be able to enter and consult alerts on persons or objects in the SIS in order to ensure a higher level of public security.

The Rapporteur stresses, however, that Cyprus accession to Schengen area remains to be assessed independently of this participation in the SIS. Any future accession to the Schengen area should be evaluated solely in view of its ability to keep the external borders of the European Union safe and secure, the report concludes.