Cyprus from 1960 to EU Accession: The Case for Non‐Territorial Autonomy

The political history of Cyprus illustrates the difficulty of instituting political power‐sharing and cultural autonomy in states where multiple ethnic groups are present, particularly where they are territorially intermixed. Contemporary political realities relating to the accession of the island to the European Union demonstrate that old and new approaches to these issues are still in need of evaluation. This article seeks to explore an “old” method for reconciling the needs of Cyprus' two ethnic groups —“non‐territorial autonomy” as embodied in the island's failed 1960 Constitution. It also examines the potential relevance of this concept for a fully European Cyprus, in which the right to free movement of Greeks and Turks throughout the island may recreate an environment of intermixed heterogeneity, and thus stimulate the need for appropriate political institutions.