Cyprus will join the Schengen Information System on 25 July 2023, following decades of efforts and after having been positively assessed.
The island will gain access to the Schengen Information Exchange System, which means that data on 90 million citizens will be given to the security authorities, something that will facilitate the cooperation of its authorities, whether it is the police, customs, or immigration service.
As Charis Philippides, Director of the EU and International Police Cooperation Directorate, explained, this will mean that the authorities will be in a better position to identify and prevent risks to the security of Cypriot citizens in a timely manner, as it will allow them, among other things, to exchange information with other Member States on issues such as wanted persons, persons illegally staying on EU territory, persons involved in terrorist organizations and vulnerable persons at risk of abduction such as in the case of minors and children.
Now it will not be possible for someone who has committed a crime in Cyprus to escape, and in real-time when a person is wanted in one country the authorities in Cyprus will know about it and will not need the time-consuming procedures that allowed the perpetrator to disappear.
