BRUSSELS The Mediterranean island of Cyprus expects a positive assessment from the European Commission when it assesses EU candidates' progress on Wednesday, diplomats said on Monday.
They said Cyprus would be praised for its economic performance and progress in accession talks to date, where it has sorted out a larger number of issues than other leading candidates.
Areas for improvement include adapting to the EU's banking legislation, they said.
They said the island's division, dating back to 1974, would not be cited as a barrier in the annual progress report to its eventual entry, which is in line with a decision by EU leaders in Helsinki last year.
Some EU countries still harbor reservations about admitting a divided island to the bloc and expect the issue to reemerge as talks progress.
Diplomats said the EU executive is expected in the report to urge the Turkish Cypriot part of the island to join the island's membership talks.
Although it cannot send a separate delegation, the EU has been pressing it to join the island's team.
Cyprus has been divided since Turkey invaded its northern third in 1974.
(Reuter)