The phenomenon of migration accompanies all modern European societies. In the EU, the issue is extremely recent and it is linked to the ongoing effort to better manage mixed refugee and migration flows, protect external borders and create a fair and effective asylum policy. An integral part of the overall migration policy for the EU and each of its Member States is the formulation of an integrated policy and measures to support the integration process of third-country nationals.

The European Union has faced a major challenge in 2015 and 2016, that led to the culmination of the migration and humanitarian crisis. By gradually controlling the intensity of migratory flows, the effective integration of migrants into European societies is one of the highest priorities.

Since 2016, there has been a continuous increase in migration flows related to the closure of the Greek-Turkish land and sea border corridor. The island also faced similar pressures in the period 2004-2009, immediately after joining the EU. Cyprus remains the first country in terms of the number of asylum applications among the European Member States. In 2020, despite the pandemic crisis, it received more than 7,000 asylum applications

For the effective integration, Cyprus continues to utilize the financial resources of AMIF which based on the new Financial Framework will increase.

The European Union needs to act more coherently at the political level in the context of solidarity and equal burden-sharing. Therefore, the strengthening of reception policies and effective integration through a National Plan, will strengthen the political position of Cyprus within the EU.

• Atlas of Migration (pdf | EU Member States – Cyprus )
• Refugee Flows in Cyprus – Statistics 2020
• Στατιστικά Στοιχεία UNHCR για ασυνόδευτα παιδιά