Why the EU Catalyst Proved Insufficient to Solve the Cyprus Problem: The Politicization of European Values

Whereas the European Union posited itself as a “catalyst ” for solving the Cyprus problem via accession, nearly two years since the act of accession, Cyprus remains divided and no negotiations have been held since the failed Annan Plan that aimed to reuninte the island was rejected by the Greek Cypriot community in a fateful referendum. This paper addresses the literature on Europeanization and conflict resolution that points to two roles of the EU in ethnonational secessionism: actor and framework. In the case of Cyprus, despite its ostensible potential for conflict transformation, the EU’s “post-modern” quality has been less in evidence. Rather, intergovernmental efforts have characterized the post-accession period in such a way as to reify “modernist ” conceptualizations of the conflict, which does not augur well for the immediate future. The ability of the Republic of Cyprus to shift the framework, possibly in line with a “European solution ” suggests that accession may not be the panacea once thought. EU norms and derogations, thus, have provided ammunition to disputants, rather than pointing to ways that the “third tier” of governance might help Cypriots negotiate their differences constructively. Hence the EU and its norms have become part of the conflict environment