The fact that the European Commission has identified substantial progress in Cyprus' technical preparations for joining the Schengen Area and is opening the way for the next steps is a positive development.
However, the distance between progress and final accession remains real.
Nothing has yet been secured, and the public debate should remain grounded.
Joining Schengen is a complex European process that requires confidence among partner states that the Republic of Cyprus can effectively manage the European Union's external borders, apply security rules and address the particular challenges created by the continuing occupation and the existence of the Green Line.
This is precisely why seriousness is required.
The technical work carried out in recent years should not be undermined by political oversimplifications or attempts to serve narrower interests.
The government is called upon to address, in a timely manner, issues that will inevitably arise. One of these concerns third-country nationals who are married to Turkish Cypriots.
These cases require practical solutions that are compatible with the European acquis so that they do not become a source of friction with the Turkish Cypriot community.
It is equally important to avoid the temptation of presenting Schengen as a tool for promoting new property sales.
It is true that several Schengen member states, including Portugal, Greece, Malta, Hungary, Latvia, Italy and Bulgaria, continue to operate residence-by-investment programmes. Each country shapes its own policy within the European framework.
Cyprus, however, carries a different historical burden.
The experience of the citizenship-by-investment programme left deep scars on the country's credibility and demonstrated the cost of using European status for economic gain.
Repeating similar practices, even in a different form, would be a strategic mistake.
Schengen accession should serve free movement, security, the strengthening of the Republic of Cyprus' European presence and the economy as a whole. It should not become an excuse for reviving a model that damaged the country's image.
Schengen is a national goal worth achieving.
Precisely because it is so important, it requires responsibility.
