PURPOSE: to put into effect the existing provisions in the area of the Schengen Information System in Cyprus.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the Council adopts the act after consulting the European Parliament but without being obliged to follow its opinion.
BACKGROUND: the Schengen evaluation on data protection was carried out in Cyprus in November 2019. An evaluation report adopted by the Commission confirmed that the necessary conditions for the application of the Schengen acquis on data protection were met in Cyprus.
On-site teams have carried out Schengen evaluation visits to Cyprus in other areas of the Schengen acquis, notably in the field of return (November 2020), police cooperation (February 2021) and external borders (February 2021).
Furthermore, it was confirmed that, from a technical point of view, the national system of Cyprus was ready to be integrated into the Schengen Information System and that it was fit for purpose.
As Cyprus has made the necessary technical and legal arrangements to process the data of the Schengen Information System and to exchange supplementary information, the Council can now set the date from which the Schengen Information System acquis will apply to Cyprus.
CONTENT: the proposal makes it possible for the Council to set the date from which the Schengen acquis relating to the Schengen Information System will apply to Cyprus.
The entry into force of this Decision should allow for Schengen Information System data to be transferred to Cyprus. The use of these data in Cyprus should allow the Commission to verify, in accordance with the Schengen evaluation procedures, that the provisions concerning the Schengen Information System are being applied correctly.
Certain restrictions on the use of the Schengen Information System in Cyprus will be imposed until the Council has decided on the full application of the Schengen acquis in Cyprus and on the lifting of checks at internal borders. Such Decision shall only be taken when it has been verified that the necessary conditions for the application of all parts of the relevant acquis have been met in Cyprus.