The unintended consequences of the EU’s engagement in contested states: the case of Cyprus

Abstract

ABSTRACT The academic scrutiny of the EU’s engagement in contested states focuses predominantly on purposeful aims disregarding collateral outcomes that still occur despite the EU’s desire or willingness to pursue them. Aimed at unfolding a whole new layer of latent dependencies, this research draws on the concept of unintended consequences in order to address the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of such outcomes on the EU’s external action in contested states. In particular, taking stock of the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ contested statehood, this article exhibits unintended and/or unexpected outcomes with significant reverberations on the EU’s broader engagement in Cyprus. Largely, it is argued that the EU membership of the RoC institutionalized asymmetry of power, thus reinforcing partition. In turn, that nurtured a grim consequence for the EU and its aspiration to utilize EU prospect as a catalyst for reunification.