A divided island in a united Europe: Evaluating the expectations and realities of the EU’s role in the Cyprus conflict from the perspective of Cyprus

Abstract

Cyprus is a Mediterranean island with a rich history marked by ethnic strife and periods of for-eign rule. Prompted by the idea of enosis (union with Greece), a Greek Cypriot coup broke out, which resulted in the Turkish invasion in 1974, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes and to the establishment of a de facto state in the northern part of the island, controlled by Tur-key. Since, an UN-patrolled Green Line, separates the two communities while the Cyprus con-flict remains unresolved for nearly half a century. The ongoing deadlock and the dream of reunification, has prompted the international legally rec-ognized Republic of Cyprus (RoC) strongly supported by Greece, to seek European integration. Cyprus expected that the EU’s normative power would have a significant impact to the ongoing deadlock, positively contributing in the peace efforts and act as a catalyst and as a driving force towards Turkey, ultimately leading to the island’s reunification. Although the European integration had leveraged the RoC’s status in the international communi-ty, due to a significant number of challenges and limitations, failed to meet the initial hopes and aspirations. Its limited ability to directly influence the parties involved, the competing interests of the communities in dispute, the lack of consensus among the member states as well as the Turkish intransigence, have dramatically influenced its capacity in fostering peace in the island.