Cyprus Joins The EU Issue Study

Cyprus is located in the east of the Mediterranean, which strategic position has always been of vital importance, known as the "Mediterranean golden key". Cyprus decolonized from British domination in1960and founded the Republic of Cyprus. Cyprus’s two main ethnic groups (Greek and Turkish Cypriots) due to the difference of ethnic, religious and cultural, contending for political powers, caused domestic unrest continued. In1974, the crisis of Cyprus and the subsequent Turkish army occupied the northern part of the Cyprus, then Cyprus started forty years of political division.Before the1990s, Cyprus and the European Community signed the Association Agreement and the Customs Union Agreement so that the two sides established economic and trade links. The agreement between the two sides only to establish a customs union as the ultimate aim, does not have the nature of the EU members agreement. In1990, The Cyprus government applied to the European Community for membership. On May1,2004, Cyprus formally became a member of the European Union. In the fifth of the EU enlargement wave, Cyprus is in the most complicated political situation, and domestic does not have a more thorough research on Cyprus accession to the EU. The purpose of this article from the perspective of the Cyprus membership, through trace the origin of Cyprus relations with the EU and elaborated the whole process of membership, focusing on the analysis of the impact of Cyprus’s political, economic, and foreign relations as well as the international community changes its policy for "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus". Through analysis the progress of the Cyprus problem after Cyprus joined the EU, assess the possibility of reconciliation of the two communities in Cyprus.This article includes the following four parts:The first part overview the history of Cyprus, the generation and development of the Cyprus problem, discusses the relationship between Cyprus and the EC before the1990s, then analysis the impact on foreign trade of Cyprus.The second part, describes the whole process of Cyprus joined the EU since1990.This chapter first analyzes Cyprus joined the European Union’s motives, Greece and Turkey’s attitude to Cyprus apply for EU membership, then discusses the accession process of Cyprus in every stages, final analysis EU’s policy on the Cyprus Problem in the accession process and the Greek role in the Cyprus accession process.The third part is the key chapter of this article, focuses on the politics, economic and foreign relations impact after Cyprus joined EU. Political aspect, the EU membership of Cyprus has certain influence on government agencies and political parties; Economic aspect, Cyprus’s membership has changed the trade patterns and macroeconomic policy, at the same time, improved the Cyprus national competitiveness; Foreign relations, the accession to Cyprus has changed relations with the outside world, Cyprus gave up its long-term adhere to the policy of the non-aligned and its EU membership not only makes for Greece and Britain’s policy change, but also change the relationship of the Middle East, Russia and the United States; To a certain extent, after the accession of Cyprus, EU and US changed the attitude to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ",which give the international isolation brings opportunity.The fourth part, analysis the progress of the Cyprus problem after Cyprus joined the EU. The United Nations to promote the two communities (Greek and Turkish Cypriots) reconciliation have make unremitting efforts, the Greek-Cypriot’s "A European solution" of the Cyprus problem’s reconciliation and Cyprus rejecting Turkey’s membership talks forcing Turkey to make concessions on the Cyprus problem which make Cyprus’s reunification extreme hardship.The conclusion part, summarizes the impact of Cyprus joined the EU on various aspects and assessment political solution of the Cyprus problem after accession.