Presidency says Cyprus has implemented around 80% of GRECO recommendations

Cyprus has fully or partly implemented around eight in 10 of the GRECO recommendations currently under review, a Presidency official said at the Cyprus Forum in Nicosia, while acknowledging that several reforms requiring legislative changes remain outstanding. Christodoulos Charalambous, a member of the office of the Deputy Minister to the President, said the Council of Europe’s anti- corruption monitoring body had identified “significant progress in several key areas” in its compliance assessment. “These are not our words. They are reflected in the report itself,” Charalambous said. “Of roughly 10 recommendations, around eight have been fully or partly implemented.” He was speaking during the panel From Commitments to Credibility: Delivering Transparency and Rule-of-Law Reform in Cyprus , chaired by Cyprus Forum Executive President Nicolas Kyriakides, with Oxygen for Democracy as knowledge partner. Charalambous said GRECO’s fifth evaluation round had resulted in 22 recommendations for Cyprus following an on-site visit in 2022 — 13 relating to the central government and nine to law-enforcement authorities. He stressed that GRECO recommendations should not be viewed as an indictment of a country, describing the mechanism instead as an institutional tool for identifying weaknesses and pushing reforms forward. “GRECO is an institutional mirror,” he said. “Its evaluations and reports can only be positive because, when combined with political will, they can genuinely help a state’s institutional development.” According to Charalambous, the government moved quickly after the Cyprus evaluation report was published, setting up a central mechanism to monitor implementation of the recommendations under the supervision of the Deputy Minister to the President. The mechanism brings together government representatives and officials involved in transparency and anti-corruption policy, while the justice minister and chief of police were assigned responsibility for monitoring recommendations relating to the police. Political advisers, consultations and asset declarations Charalambous highlighted several reforms which he said had addressed GRECO concerns. These included a statutory framework governing political advisers and associates, with eligibility requirements and greater transparency over appointments. He also pointed to the introduction of a single platform for public consultations, where government bills are published and citizens can submit comments. A more detailed code of conduct for members of government has also been introduced, replacing what he described as a much more limited previous framework. The new system includes monitoring mechanisms, guidance on ethical dilemmas and provision for advice from an ethics adviser. Charalambous also highlighted changes to the asset-declaration regime, describing the current framework as “one of the strictest mechanisms in Europe”. He said declarations are now submitted through an electronic platform, with a broader range of assets covered and the Tax Commissioner involved in verification. Further amendments are being prepared, including changes concerning the frequency of declarations and administrative penalties for late submission. Three legislative reforms still under way Charalambous said three legislative initiatives linked to outstanding GRECO recommendations were currently progressing. One concerns further changes to the asset-declaration system. A second would merge two bodies dealing with conflicts of interest and the movement of officials into private-sector employment after leaving public office, commonly referred to as “revolving doors”. The proposed structure would include stronger requirements on reporting, transparency and accountability, he said, adding that the bill was close to consideration by the Council of Ministers before being sent to parliament. The third initiative concerns modernising legislation governing access to information and public access to government information. Warning against ‘nothing is changing’ narrative Charalambous also used the discussion to push back against what he described as a tendency to portray Cyprus as institutionally stagnant on corruption and rule-of-law reform. “The image that often exists is that nothing is being done, nothing is changing, nothing is moving forward,” he said. “That, in my view, is very wrong.” He argued that sweeping dismissal of institutions and reforms could itself undermine public confidence and make it harder to distinguish serious shortcomings from areas where progress had been made. “Zeroing everything out is not the antidote to corruption,” he said, arguing that reforms should instead be assessed individually and continuously strengthened. He cited the strengthening of the Independent Authority against Corruption , including increased funding and work to provide it with permanent staff, as an example of an institution being gradually reinforced. Charalambous said the process was not complete, stressing that institutional reform required continuous vigilance as standards and circumstances evolved. Kyriakides, who chaired the discussion, said external assessments such as those by GRECO and European institutions were particularly valuable because they made weaknesses more specific and provided independent scrutiny of institutional performance. He added that establishing bodies and regulatory frameworks was not enough on its own, arguing that institutions also needed the tools and resources to carry out their responsibilities effectively. The panel formed part of the Cyprus Forum’s wider discussions on governance and democratic institutions, with Oxygen for Democracy participating as knowledge partner.