Greco presses Cyprus to step up anti-corruption reforms

The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (Greco) demanded that Cyprus make more progress in the next 18 months for the country to reach an “acceptable” level of compliance with the recommendations it had made in its evaluation report of the island in 2023.

It made the call in its follow-up conformity report based on the 22 recommendations it had made in its 2023 report, finding that Cyprus has fully implemented six of those 22 recommendations and partially implemented a further 13 recommendations, with three left unimplemented.

The recommendations which were implemented included that “integrity requirements imposed on persons recruited by the central government” be “regulated very precisely”, and that “individuals holding senior executive positions be subject to an integrity check prior to their appointment”.

They also included that “an institutionalised mechanism be established to monitor the quality of the consultation procedure” for the creation of new laws, and that the anti-corruption authority “develop practical guidance to apply the rules governing the relationships between individuals holding high-level executive functions and lobbyists and other third parties seeking to influence the process”.

The remaining two recommendations implemented by Cyprus were that a coordinated “integrity and corruption prevention policy … be adopted for the police”, and that “a process to ensure that disciplinary cases are resolved promptly and consistently” be established.

At the other end of the scale, the report found that Cyprus has not implemented the recommendation to make assurances that people leaving high-powered government jobs do not exploit their former positions, that government anti-corruption functions be supplemented by “institutionalised cooperation” and “information exchange” between various government offices.

In addition, it found that Cyprus has not implemented the recommendation to “ensure that disciplinary cases be resolved promptly and consistently, and that misconduct be effectively punished”.

In explaining its evaluation, it wrote that “with regard to individuals holding senior executive positions, significant progress has been made in several key areas”.

“The new regulatory framework governing the legal status and employment of consultants working for members of the government has been adopted, as have the codes of conduct for members of the government and consultants working for them, which now apply to all high-level government officials with the exception of the president,” it said.

However, it added, “efforts still need to be made to consolidate all integrity standards and provide the required practical guidance”.

It then described the launch of the government’s “e-consultation” electronic platform, on which it shares draft bills, as “an important step forward”.

It also stressed that “further steps must be taken to develop a coordinated integrity strategy” for high-level members of the government and said again that “the post-employment regime must be reviewed”.

Additionally, it said the anti-corruption authority’s “staffing levels could benefit from being increased”, and that its work “must be streamlined”.

It also made reference to some of the 13 recommendations which Cyprus has partially implemented, saying that it “welcomes the strengthening of the financial disclosure regime applicable to the chief of police and deputy … as well as legislative amendments aimed at improving the protection of whistleblowers against retaliation”.

“Greco encourages the authorities to pursue a number of reform projects. In particular, police oversight and accountability need to be streamlined. Targeted measures still need to be developed to improve gender parity in the police and fully put into operation the confidential counselling mechanism,” it said.

It then called for the selection process for the chief of police and deputy to be “more transparent” and said the same must apply for “all promotion and transfer procedures” within the police force.

President Nikos Christodoulides, meanwhile, was more satisfied with the report than Greco’s own demands would suggest, stressing that only three of the 22 recommendations remain not implemented.

“The overall rate of full and partial compliance exceeds 85 per cent, which is significantly higher than the European overall average … Undoubtedly, this is a development which demonstrates the systematic and methodical approach followed by our government,” he said.

He then described the report “not only as a culmination and recognition of our efforts to date, but also as a guide for the continuation of reforms”.

“Within this framework, the full implementation of all recommendations remains a top priority,” he said, adding that “with steady steps, Cyprus is regaining credibility at the international level”.

“Preventing and combating corruption is not a momentary choice, but a permanent, collective obligation for institutions and ordinary people. No one is above the reputation and prestige of our homeland. As a government, we remain committed to transparency, integrity, and the trust of people in these institutions which constitute the cornerstone of democracy,” he said.