Over eight days (April 13 to 20), 14 students from the Institute of Journalism had the opportunity to get to know Cyprus and observe the effects of internal and international conflicts on the Mediterranean island under the main topic “Dream of Europe? The divided island and the consequences of European politics” to observe the effects of internal and international conflicts on the Mediterranean island. The group was accompanied by IJ staff members Dominik Speck and Richard Brandt. A two-day preparatory seminar led by Monika Lengauer served to prepare for the trip and to explore the complex historical and political background on Cyprus.

20 years after the eastward expansion of the EU and Cyprus' accession in May 2004, the focus was also on the extent to which the international community was able to keep its promise to help bring peace to the conflict between Turkish and Greek Cypriots. Although the entire island is de jure part of the EU, EU law does not de facto apply in the internationally unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.  

In the divided capital Nicosia, meetings with NGOs, experts and media professionals were on the agenda on both sides of the inner-Cypriot border, and the group also explored traces of social movements in both parts of the city on a city tour. Talks with the German Embassy in Nicosia and the local branch of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation provided valuable background information.

A UN peacekeeping mission has been stationed in Cyprus for exactly 60 years. The UN Special Representative in Cyprus, Colin Stewart, received the Dortmund students for talks at the UN headquarters in the UN-controlled buffer zone that divides the island. The former Nicosia airport, which has been abandoned since 1974 and is a symbol of the deadlocked conflict on the island, is also located there. Three British blue helmets guided the group through the ghost airport.

Consequences of European migration policy in Cyprus

Another focus of the trip was the topic of flight and migration. The students were able to impressively explore the consequences of European migration policy in Cyprus. The visit to the Pournara refugee camp was particularly memorable, where the students gained an insight into the living conditions and concerns of the residents.

Cyprus recorded the highest number of asylum applications per capita of all EU countries in 2023, and in recent months the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Cyprus by boat from Lebanon, mainly from Syria, has continued to rise. During the study trip, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis announced that the country would suspend the processing of asylum applications from Syrians until further notice. This controversial announcement was discussed during the visit to the Pournara camp, as well as in talks with the UN refugee agency UNHCR and the NGO Cyprus Refugee Council.

In Nicosia, the agenda also included a joint workshop with journalism students from the University of Cyprus, which covered career prospects in the media market in both countries, as well as discussions on division and reunification from German and Cypriot perspectives. The study trip was organized in collaboration with local lecturer Venetia Papa and communication scientists Dimitra Milioni and Lia T. Spyridou from the Cyprus University of Technology in Limassol.

At the end of the trip, the IJ delegation explored the port city of Limassol on Cyprus's southern coast, a hub for the finance and IT industries, as well as for the Russian, Ukrainian, and Israeli communities in the country. The itinerary included a visit to the editorial office of the online platform "Limassol Today," a conversation with economic blogger Panis Pieri, and a meeting with Russian-born activists who organize protests in Cyprus against Vladimir Putin's policies.

The trip was supported by PROMOS 

For their journalistic contributions, the participants researched topics such as the situation of international students in Northern Cyprus, the role of trade unions in the Cyprus conflict, everyday life in the divided capital, and the disadvantages faced by children from marriages between Turkish Cypriots and Turkish citizens. In doing so, the students independently organized interviews with various interviewees outside of the scheduled group appointments, gaining valuable insights into reporting from abroad.

The study trip, led by Prof. Dr. Susanne Fengler, was financially supported by PROMOS, the program of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) aimed at increasing student mobility. In previous years, PROMOS-funded excursions had taken IJ students to countries such as Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Jordan.