31.06.2022
The European Parliament approved on Tuesday the report of MEP Peter Kofod on the application of the provisions of the Schengen legislation in the field of the Schengen Information System in Cyprus.
According to the report, on May 28, 2019, Cyprus declared its readiness and commitment to apply all parts of the Schengen legislation and is subject to the Schengen assessments, as far as possible, taking into account the special circumstances of Cyprus, recognized in Protocol No. 10 to the 2003 Agreement Act of Accession.
The Council Regulation establishing an evaluation and monitoring mechanism to verify the application of the Schengen legislation provides for procedures for the evaluation of the Schengen Agreement.
Added that the Schengen assessment in the area of the Schengen Information System (SIS) can only take place once the SIS has been put into effect in Cyprus.
The Rapporteur’s position is that the entry into force of the Council Decision should allow the transmission of SIS data to Cyprus. It is added that the use of SIS data in Cyprus should enable the Commission to verify, in accordance with the Schengen assessment procedures, the correct application of the provisions relating to SIS.
“Some restrictions on the use of the SIS in Cyprus will be introduced until the Council decides on the full application of the Schengen legislation in Cyprus and on the abolition of checks at the crossing points between the territories of the Republic of Cyprus where the Government of the Republic of Cyprus exercises effective control and in those areas where it does not. Such a decision shall be taken only after confirmation 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 Act of Accession 2003,” the report says.
It adds that “in light of the recent challenges faced by Cyprus, namely the influx of illegal migrants arriving under the guidance of smugglers from the northern part of its territory, and due to the fact that they illegally cross the 184-kilometre so-called “green line”, Bypassing any checks at the crossing points between areas of the Republic of Cyprus over which the Government of the Republic of Cyprus exercises effective control and areas over which it does not exercise, the Rapporteur considers it essential that the Cypriot authorities be able to verify the information in Thesis .”
As a result, as noted, border control and law enforcement agencies will be able to enter and view alerts about persons or objects in the SIS to ensure a higher level of public safety.
The speaker, however, emphasizes that the accession of Cyprus to the Schengen area has yet to be assessed, regardless of its participation in the SIS. The report concludes that any future accession to the Schengen area should be judged solely in terms of its ability to secure the external borders of the European Union.
