Supreme Court upholds vehicle inspection rules for Turkish Cypriots

The Supreme Court of the Republic of Cyprus has rejected an appeal filed by four citizens—Odysseas Angelidis, Antonis Oikonomou, Andreas Loukas, and Dinos Efthymiou—who challenged the existing vehicle inspection regulations. The appellants argued that Turkish Cypriots living in the occupied areas receive preferential treatment compared to residents of the free areas, as their vehicles are not subjected to the same mandatory technical inspection (MOT). The case concerns regulations adopted after the 2003 opening of the checkpoints, which allow vehicles from occupied areas to enter the Republic under temporary permits with visual inspections instead of full MOT testing. The complainants claimed that this disparity violates the constitutional principle of equality and European law. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the previous decision of the Nicosia District Court, ruling that the differentiated treatment is reasonable, objective, and proportional given the specific political circumstances of the island. The court concluded that the current administrative practice remains legally valid.