Pierre Le Mouel

Abstract

Defining the Cyprus Green Line is a contested issue. Since the accession to the European Union of the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) in 2004, the EU has had to balance between two conflicting definitions of the Green Line. The first, set by international law and the United Nations (UN) resolutions, is that of a peace line that is only a temporary internal discontinuity within the RoC, separating both communities until a settlement is agreed. The second, championed by Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots’ pseudo-state, is that of an international border between both independent communities. The EU has had to apply both definitions at the same time, legally and pragmatically, which has heavily hindered its own peacebuilding efforts in Cyprus and reduced its actorness in Eastern Mediterranean geopolitics.

Keywords: border, conflict resolution, Cyprus, European Union, Green Line, Turkish Cypriot, Turkey

Pierre Le Mouel [pierre.le-mouel@univ-reims.fr], Département de Géographie – équipe HABITER, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne

Citation

APA: Le Mouel, P. (2021). The Green Line in Cyprus: external border or internal discontinuity of the EU?. Europa XXI, 40, 71-82. https://doi.org/10.7163/Eu21.2021.40.3
MLA: Le Mouel, Pierre. "The Green Line in Cyprus: external border or internal discontinuity of the EU?". Europa XXI, vol. 40, 2021, pp. 71-82. https://doi.org/10.7163/Eu21.2021.40.3
Chicago: Le Mouel, Pierre. "The Green Line in Cyprus: external border or internal discontinuity of the EU?". Europa XXI 40 (2021): 71-82. https://doi.org/10.7163/Eu21.2021.40.3
Harvard: Le Mouel, P. 2021. "The Green Line in Cyprus: external border or internal discontinuity of the EU?". Europa XXI, vol. 40, pp. 71-82. https://doi.org/10.7163/Eu21.2021.40.3