ABSTRACT
The powers and role of the European Parliament (EP) in the EU’s external relations have grown steadily over the past couple of decades but they may be said to have experienced a qualitative jump with the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. This chapter looks at the role of the European Parliament and the Cyprus Problem, and whether the enhanced powers of the Parliament have led to any substantive progress on the resolution of the conflict. The Cyprus Problem has been selected partly because it is one of the longest unresolved conflicts in the Mediterranean Region and also because expectations were raised prior to the 2004 enlargement that Cyprus’s membership would catalyse efforts towards its definite resolution. Sadly this has not been the case. The chapter focuses on the EP and its members’ stand on the problem. It starts with a discussion of the powers of the EP in the EU’s external relations, and covers the background of the Cyprus Problem and the role of the European Parliament in the resolution of the conflict.
