Since 2019, the European Commission has been supporting Cyprus with EU funding and expertise, as well as permanent staff deployments, to strengthen the national migration management system. Together with the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), it supports the Cypriot authorities in establishing an effective and future-proof migration management system.
In February 2022, the European Commission and the three EU Agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Cyprus, setting a comprehensive cooperation framework on migration management to jointly step-up efforts in addressing various challenges in the area of first reception, the provision of material reception conditions, asylum procedures, integration and the implementation of returns, among others.
Managing borders and arrivals
The European Commission, in cooperation with the three EU agencies, assist Cyprus in managing arrivals. Beyond EU financial support provided by the Commission, EU Agencies are helping on the ground operationally.
Under Joint Operation Ledra, Frontex provides expertise and operational support to the Cypriot authorities in screening, registration and fingerprinting of migrants arriving on the island, as well as with information and intelligence gathering, including on cross-border crime.
Under the Joint Operation Focal Points Air, Standing Core Officers for border checks are deployed by Frontex at Larnaca and Paphos airports. These officers are integrated in the national border-guard teams to support Cyprus with checks at the external air borders.
Europol is also present in Cyprus with a team of Guest Officers ensuring full support to the national authorities in terms of checks, with a focus on counter-smuggling and counter-terrorism matters.
Relocations
The Commission also supports the voluntary relocation of asylum applicants and beneficiaries of international protection from one EU Member State to another and to 4 Schengen associated countries. Between August 2022 and May 2024, more than 2,000 applicants for international protection have been relocated from Cyprus to other European countries with the support of the EUAA and the IOM.
Under the Pact on Migration and Asylum, solidarity will become part of a structured and mandatory process as regulated under the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation (AMMR). Once the new legal framework enters into application, it will cover three different types of solidarity measures: relocation, financial contributions and alternative measures (i.e. staff and in-kind support) and, under certain conditions as a secondary level solidarity measure, there will also be responsibility offsets. The Commission as well as EUAA and IOM will continue providing support for the implementation of the Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism, which can remain the framework for providing solidarity until the entry into application of the AMMR on 12 June 2026.
Enhancing reception capacities
The EU provides substantial support to Cyprus for the enhancement of its reception capacity. Alongside the operational support and expertise brought by the EUAA in this area, the EU provides funding for the upgrade of existing and the construction of new Reception Centres.
The First Reception Centre (FRC) of Pournara is the only centre to carry out first reception procedures, such as screening, identification, and registration of newly arrived asylum seekers. EUR 22 million were made available from the 2021-2027 Asylum Migration and Integration Fund for the reconstruction of the Pournara FRC, to improve the centre’s infrastructure and allow for more effective first reception procedures.
With an allocated EU budget of EUR 67.7 million, one specialised Detention Centre for returns and one new Reception Centre for asylum seekers are currently under construction in the area of Limnes. The new Reception Centre is expected to add approximately 1,000 places to the national reception system. The constructions are expected to be finalised by 2025. Additionally, EUAA funded ongoing upgrades in the Kofinou Reception Centre, partially delivered in 2023, ensure higher quality capacity for another 150 residents in over 70 different hosting units.
The EU has also provided EUR 6.7 million to support the Cypriot reception system in offering quick and effective assistance to people living under the EU Temporary Protection, after having fled Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine.
Countering migrant smuggling
In November 2023, the Commission proposed a new Directive to prevent and fight migrant smuggling, setting out a new criminal law framework against migrant smuggling for the years to come. The Commission also proposed a Regulation to reinforce Europol's role as the EU criminal information hub on migrant smuggling.
Europol also ensures coordination at EU level, improving the exchange of information between EU Member States, other EU agencies (Eurojust, Frontex), and non-EU partner countries.
