The island of Cyprus, home to both the Republic of Cyprus and the self-styled TRNC, is in many ways a microcosm of the difficulties facing the EU, both in terms of seeking solutions to economic crisis and with regards to the EU’s hopes for expansion. With popularity levels, particularly amongst its southern members, at something of a nadir, it is high time that the EU sought to fulfil the ideals laid out in the Copenhagen Criteria; promoting democratic governance and the protection of human rights, rather than simply fiscal compliance. With Cyprus, there is an opportunity for the EU to promote both political unity and economic development. The renewal of reunification talks could not only lead to a united and prosperous Cyprus, but also the eventual granting of EU membership to Turkey, a nation whose economic vigour would be a welcome addition in the EU’s battle to return to growth.
There is no doubt that the island’s long and bitter history poses a significant obstacle to its reunification, but it does not seem unreasonable to suggest that an island that has played host to Greeks, Ptolemies, Persians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Franks, Venetians, Turks and British could seek to fashion again at least a modicum of consensus. One does not need to be an idealist to comprehend the benefits of a united Cyprus, both for the island itself and Europe as a whole. Demetris Christofias, President of Cyprus since 2008, has himself issued a statement that it is ‘high time that all our efforts were directed towards a better Europe for the younger generation’. He also expressed a desire that the EU maintain an ‘active presence in the world’, while remaining ‘close to its neighbours’. Despite his own antipathy towards Turkey, it is with regards his home island that these words ring truest, and indeed the removal of the Attila line dividing Cyprus would unquestionably prove to be of great economic benefit, particularly in relation to trade and foreign investment, as well as potentially stimulating something of an entente cordiale in the eastern Mediterranean between nations whose relationship is blighted by mistrust but for whom there is much mutual ground both historically and culturally.
Progress regarding both Cyprus and Turkey could be made through EU support. There is undoubtedly political capital to be gained within Turkey by continuing to support the TRNC, and yet Turkey’s acceptance into the EU, regardless of their compliance with the thirty-five chapters of EU law, is dependent on recognition of the Republic of Cyprus. In particular, acceptance of Cypriot ships into Turkish ports has the potential to act as an olive branch not only to Cyprus but also to those EU member states still sceptical about Turkish ambitions to become part of the EU.
The reality is that although Ankara continues to publicly back the TRNC and President Christofias maintains firmly opposed to Turkish entry into the EU, the situation on the ground is rather less confrontational. There are signs that the tension between the north and the south of the island, given encouragement from within and without, could continue to thaw. In August 2004, inter-island trade between Greek Cyprus and the TRNC was resumed, while as recently as March 2008, the wall that had stood between the Republic of Cyprus and the UN buffer zone, a potent symbol of the island’s division, was demolished. It would be fitting for an island that has witnessed so much conflict between east and west to seek reconciliation during its tenure at the head of the EU, and if the EU in recent years has become synonymous with fiscal conservatism, it still has the potential to be a force for political development.
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