the entire island entered the eu on 1 may 2004 still divided, although the eu acquis communautaire – the body of common rights and obligations – applies only to the areas under direct government control, and is suspended in the areas occupied by the turkish military and administered by turkish cypriots. however, individual turkish cypriots able to document their eligibility for republic of cyprus citizenship legally enjoy the same rights accorded to other citizens of european union states. the greek cypriot government in nicosia continues to oppose eu efforts to establish direct trade and economic links to trnc as a way of encouraging the turkish cypriot community to continue to support the resolution of the cyprus dispute.