The European People’s Party on Thursday offered its support to Cyprus’ efforts to join Europe’s Schengen zone.

In its resolutions at the end of its summit, which brought together centre-right party leaders from across the continent, it stressed the importance of the Schengen zone.

“We stick to Schengen, but not a Schengen for smugglers. We need to send a strong signal to smugglers and to those who abuse the system. Securing the effective and strict protection of our external land and sea borders is the prerequisite for a fully functioning Schengen area,” the resolution read.

It added that therefore, the EPP will “define milestones to achieve this as a matter of urgency”.

It went on to say that “full freedom of movement inside the Schengen Area continues to be our aim”, and that the EPP “supports Cyprus’ aspiration to fully join the Schengen area in 2026”.

On this matter, it said it “calls on the European Commission to actively promote and accelerate this process”.

The Cypriot government has set as one of its central goals for this year the aim of joining the Schengen zone in 2026, with President Nikos Christodoulides – also an EPP member – having promised last month that this goal will be fulfilled.

“We will join the Schengen zone in 2026. A huge effort is being made by the end of 2025 from a technical point of view. This is our goal, we will have completed everything we need to do as a state, with the aim of 2026, precisely, for the Republic of Cyprus to join the Schengen zone,” he said at the time.

“I assure you that by the end of 2025, we will complete all the technicalities we need to ensure that our country will be in the Schengen zone in 2026.”

Cyprus is one of just two EU member states left outside the Schengen zone, following the accession of Bulgaria and Romania at the beginning of this year. Cyprus aside, Ireland is the only EU member outside the Schengen zone. Four non-EU members – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland – are also Schengen members.

Reports earlier in the year set out the likely requirements Cyprus must fulfil to be able to join the Schengen zone, with the country said to have been tasked with “strengthening [its] border controls”.

Particular attention on this front has been paid to the Green Line, which, while not de jure an external border, is said to “require strict controls” and is not exempt from EU frontier standards.