The Observatory on Aging and the Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marinos Mousiouttas, in a statement issued by the Observatory following a meeting between the Minister and a delegation from the Observatory.
As stated in its press release, the meeting took place in a “particularly positive atmosphere.” The Observatory’s delegation consisted of Executive President Dimos Antoniou and Senior Officer Maria Peter. As noted, as part of the constructive dialogue, the Minister provided the Observatory with a detailed briefing on the key parameters of the government’s proposal, with both parties agreeing to initiate close and ongoing cooperation.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Mr. Antoniou briefed the Minister on the demographic trends highlighted by the World Health Organization and the European Union regarding the alarming rise in the old-age dependency ratioold-age dependency ratio, a fact that will have significant implications for Cyprus’s economy and society in the coming decades, as noted in the press release.
In addition, Mr. Antoniou raised the serious issue of long-term care and the need for cooperation among the relevant ministries so that older adults can age in their homes with dignity. He also informed the Minister about the Observatory’s participation in the 1st Intergovernmental Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons at the United Nations in Geneva, and its active involvement in protecting the human rights of older adults.
According to the announcement, the Minister, for his part, referred to the Government’s commitment to vulnerable groups, stating: “As the President of the Republic has declared, we are moving forward with the most significant pension reform in our country since 1980. This reform is not merely about the numbers; it reflects the deeply social nature of our governance. We are correcting decades-old distortions, supporting our retirees with an emphasis on those receiving low pensions, and institutionally recognizing the contributions of informal caregivers and mothers. At this historic juncture, as Cyprus’s population ages and the country must develop programs for active, healthy, and dignified aging, the Senior Citizens Observatory is, for us, a leading, specialized, and essential institutional partner of the State. “We have agreed to work in close collaboration so that the reform can be implemented on January 1, 2027, providing security and dignity to every one of our fellow citizens.”
The Executive President of the Cyprus Senior Citizens’ Observatory, Dimos Antoniou, expressed his full satisfaction with the level of consultation. “The government’s initiatives are clearly moving in the right direction, laying the groundwork for a framework of social justice that addresses the real needs of current and future older adults. The Observatory will continue to make its expertise available to the state. “By working closely together, we are creating the conditions to make a modern and sustainable support framework for older adults in Cyprus a reality,” he said.
