Serendipity I was just reading an article about homeless people in Amsterdam (first rule of the Netherlands do not ever live in Amsterdam).
I don't judge it must be a lot more fun being a drug addict in Amsterdam than Boekarest.
But it is emblematic of how the Dutch government is losing diplomatic power in Brussels.
After 17 years since joining EU and 14 years since Romania met all the technical accession they were all able to join.
Since 2011 Romania was blocked by The Netherlands and Austria from joining. When one country didn't contest, the other did, and so here we are 14 years later.
My understanding is: if Cyprus becomes a part of Schengen, the Turkish-controlled airport becomes a port of entry into the Schengen zone. Maybe the southern side saying the northern part is not part of EU/Schengen would count as recognition of the Turkish rule...
There's more nuance to it than that, but indeed, this is because of the occupied territories. No politically acceptable solution to "exclude occupied territories from Schengen without recognising them" has yet been found.
Not all European territories are Schengen territories. French Mayotte in the Mozambique strait; the Spanish Canary islands in northern west Africa aren’t in Schengen despite being colonies of Schengen areas
Is there considerable utility for Cyprus being in Schengen? I mean, they are an island and in best case scenarios their Schengen will be like Romania & Bulgaria's Schengen membership until today: Air and Sea only. Which was underwhelming.
For Cyprus citizens, no. But for third countries nationals living there it will change everything. Now they are locked in because Schengen visas are almost impossible to get because embassies mostly issue single-entry ones, waiting times are several months for 1 trip, and all slots are bought out by bots... Many live here for several years and never had a single trip just because it is too hard and expensive (up to 1k per person per trip + several months), to get a visa.
I got a Schengen visa for my Cambodian(!) girlfriend for 300€ and ~45 days, even though one application got rejected because she comes from the bottom of the list of countries. We just needed to write a little essay to give them an idea of who we are. Btw, we asked for a single entry VISA and got granted multiple entries. My point is that Schengen VISAs look impossible to get because everyone complains about them, but the reality is different if you actually apply and go through the process with an open mind. (yes, I hated applying and getting rejected, but I have to admit that it was not as bad as I was told in the end). Not trying to minimize Cyprus people’s administrative problems with Europe, but trying to show that the reports about Schengen VISAs are not accurate.
For people who already live in Europe, they're pretty keen to approve them unless you're from a country considered outright dangerous. An Indonesian friend received multiple even without having a great salary or an owned house. Would have been declined if living in Indonesia
The person complaining has a name ending with "ov" and needs a schengen visa, which is quite representative of the third country nationals who have issues with this
imo schengen doesn't matter for Cyprus. On the contrary it will make Cyprus even more attractive to financial refugees who will use it's geographic location as a stepping stone to the rest of EU. That means a lot more cost for the government to house people until their refugee status applications are processed.
But it is emblematic of how the Dutch government is losing diplomatic power in Brussels.