Political parties and the meaning of Europe in northern Cyprus

This paper investigates the impact of the European Union (EU) on political party discourses in northern Cyprus. While the Turkish Cypriot community remain on the margins of the EU – with their prospects of EU integration depending on the resolution of the Cyprus conflict – an intriguing Europeaniation process has nonetheless taken place there since 2004, carrying significant potential to leave a mark on the future socio-political development of the Turkish Cypriot community. Drawing from constructivist readings on Europeanization, the paper shows that despite the lack of a resolution or substantive effects of EU policy in practice, the day-to-day articulations of Europe still play an important position within political party narratives. Revealing the ways in which political actors conceive of Europe in a context shaped by the on-going Cyprus problem, the paper also complements existing accounts of the EU’s role in other conflict settings.