The reform of Cyprus’ Law Office remains in limbo, with unresolved questions over the separation of the Attorney-General’s powers and the review of decisions not to prosecute or to discontinue criminal proceedings. At the same time, delays in the administration of justice, the establishment of an independent courts service and the enforcement of court judgments continue to undermine the effectiveness of the justice system.
The European Commission’s latest rule-of-law report on Cyprus will come under scrutiny by the House Institutions Committee this week, with MPs expected to examine the outstanding problems and consider how they can be addressed.
Published on 17 July 2026, the Commission’s report records progress in several institutional and legislative areas. However, it identifies two major areas where significant delays remain: reform of the Law Office and the effectiveness of the justice system.
Several measures already agreed by the government, as well as bills submitted to Parliament, have remained pending for an extended period.
The Commission is also monitoring the effectiveness of the Independent Authority Against Corruption, the long-delayed creation of an independent courts service, the enforcement of court decisions by public authorities and transparency issues.
Law Office reform
One of the most important outstanding issues is reform of the Law Office, where the Commission says progress has been limited.
The proposed reform would separate the Attorney-General’s two roles through the creation of an Office of the General Public Prosecutor. It would also establish an effective mechanism for reviewing decisions not to prosecute or to discontinue criminal proceedings.
At present, such decisions by the Attorney-General and Deputy Attorney-General are not subject to an equivalent external review mechanism. The issue has long been a source of public debate, particularly in cases involving major scandals where individuals avoided prosecution.
The reform bills were submitted to Parliament by the Christodoulides government in July 2025, but their examination has yet to be completed.
The first discussion in the House Legal Affairs Committee took place in September 2025. Attorney-General George Savvides raised constitutional concerns about the proposed structure, while political parties were also divided over the reforms.
The only part of the reform that has so far secured broader support and a clear implementation timetable is the introduction of an eight-year term for the Attorney-General and Deputy Attorney-General. Currently, both officials remain in office until the age of 68.
Parliament’s work was interrupted by the May general election, further delaying consideration of the bills.
Reviewing prosecution decisions
The Commission also places particular emphasis on creating a mechanism to review prosecutorial decisions concerning the suspension or discontinuation of criminal proceedings.
In December, the Council of Ministers approved a bill providing for internal and judicial oversight of such decisions. Initially, decisions would be reviewed by the General Public Prosecutor, with the possibility of subsequent judicial review by the Supreme Court.
The bill cannot proceed, however, until the legislation establishing the separate Office of the General Public Prosecutor is passed.
Under the proposed system, decisions not to prosecute or to suspend proceedings could initially be reviewed by the General Public Prosecutor’s office. If the affected party remains dissatisfied, they could apply to the Supreme Court for judicial review.
Decisions to discontinue criminal proceedings already before a Criminal Assize Court would be subject directly to judicial review.
The definition of an “affected party” in the bill is broad and includes individuals and legal entities that have suffered harm as a result of an offence for which no prosecution was brought, or from the suspension of proceedings against an accused person.
However, the bill does not clarify whether independent bodies such as the Independent Authority Against Corruption or the Audit Office could be considered affected parties when they identify indications of possible corruption.
The issue, along with other concerns raised during the parliamentary examination of the bill, is expected to receive further scrutiny.
Savvides has also expressed reservations about the legislation, while the Supreme Court has raised concerns about the potential increase in its workload.
The Commission is now looking primarily to Parliament to make progress on the outstanding Law Office reforms.
Slow justice
The second major concern highlighted by the Commission is the effectiveness of the justice system itself.
Although progress has been made in reducing the backlog of cases and introducing new procedural rules, the length of court proceedings remains a serious problem.
The situation is compounded by the slow digital transformation of the courts, difficulties in recruiting judges and shortcomings in court infrastructure. Delays in the launch of the Commercial Court are also a concern, with the Commission noting their impact on the business community.
Cyprus is also criticised for the prolonged delay in establishing an independent courts service. Such a body is considered important for improving court administration and relieving judges of administrative duties.
A study completed in January 2023 set out the proposed structure, procedures and staffing requirements for such a service, with implementation envisaged within three years. However, its recommendations remain outstanding and no firm timetable has been established.
A more recent report, prepared in July 2024 and approved in October 2025 by the Supreme Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Justice, proposes a different approach.
Its central aim is to clearly separate judicial and administrative responsibilities, allowing judges to focus on their judicial duties. Among other measures, it proposes redefining the role of court registrars and assigning court administration to specialised non-judicial staff.
The final model, however, has yet to be decided, as has the method and timetable for implementation.
The Cyprus Bar Association continues to regard the creation of an independent courts service as a priority, a position also supported by the Commission.
Enforcement of judgments remains a problem
Problems with the effectiveness of justice are compounded by difficulties in enforcing final court judgments.
Efforts to remove legal obstacles to enforcement have made little progress, while legislation providing sanctions against those who refuse to comply with annulment judgments remains pending.
Those failing to comply can include government departments, independent services such as the Public Service Commission, semi-governmental organisations and local authorities.
The Commission echoes concerns raised by the Cyprus Bar Association that even after lengthy and costly court proceedings, successful litigants can face significant obstacles in having judgments implemented.
It expresses particular concern about the failure of public administration to comply with decisions of administrative courts.
The scale of the problem is illustrated by research showing that 35% of judges do not agree that decisions going against the interests of the government are normally enforced.
Asset declarations and lobbying
On corruption prevention, the Commission welcomes the implementation of Cyprus’ new and stricter legislation on asset declarations, or “Pothen Esches”, for elected and appointed officials.
Monitoring of the lobbying legislation is also being strengthened, while a comprehensive integrity strategy for people exercising senior executive responsibilities is being developed.
The Independent Authority Against Corruption is responsible for implementing the lobbying legislation and maintains a register of licensed lobbyists.
Calls for investigative powers for anti-corruption body
The Commission records significant progress in relation to the Independent Authority Against Corruption, particularly following legislation allowing the authority to recruit its own staff.
However, it says further measures are needed to make the body fully effective and calls on Cyprus to strengthen its operational capacity.
In practice, this means giving the authority investigative powers.
At present, the authority can investigate cases and inform the Attorney-General, but does not itself have investigative powers. The Attorney-General decides whether a criminal investigation should proceed, with any such investigation carried out by the Police under his direction.
Under the proposed approach, the anti-corruption authority would be able to conduct criminal investigations itself when it identifies possible corruption involving a public official and submit its findings to the Attorney-General, together with a recommendation on whether criminal charges should be brought.
Bills seeking to give the authority such powers have been pending in Parliament since 2023, while a separate proposal has also been submitted by ALMA.
The Commission also welcomes the fact that the Independent Authority Against Corruption has issued findings against current and former senior officials, with criminal investigations now under way in some of those cases.
Overall, the Commission’s assessment is mixed: Cyprus has made progress in several areas, but key reforms remain stalled. The message from Brussels is that legislation alone is not enough — reforms already proposed must now be passed and implemented.
