On Monday, the Parliamentary Finance Committee began deliberating on bills concerning the evaluation of candidates for appointment to the civil service, with members of Parliament expressing the need to modernize the recruitment system, while also voicing their opposition to certain provisions in the bills.

The bills, which were examined by the Committee in principle and for which article-by-article debate will continue next Monday, concern the Law of 2026 on the Evaluation of Candidates for Appointment to the Civil Service, which amends the procedure for filling entry-level positions in the civil service, to make it more rational and effective, the Public Service (Amendment) of 2026, which introduces provisions to expedite the process of filling First Appointment positions in the public service; and the Law on the Evaluation of Candidates for Appointment to the PublicService (Provisional Provisions) of 2026 introducing provisional provisions regarding the suspension of general written examinations during the last half of the year 2026 for entry-level positions in the civil service.

Regarding the first bill on public sector recruitment, which is the main bill, Elena Oikonomidou, Director of the Department of Public Administration and Personnel at the Ministry of Finance – Azina, said that the key changes being proposed are that the general written exams for entry into the civil service will be held after the vacancies are announced, rather than beforehand.

“In this way, the entire process and the expression of interest by candidates are more targeted and aligned with the staffing needs of the agencies,” he noted, adding that decisions regarding the exam topics are based on the specific requirements of each position, and citizens are informed of any vacancies for which they are qualified so they can decide whether totake the exams.

He also said that a second change involves the fact that all vacant civil service positions are published during the first two months of the year, rather than the first four months as is currently the case, with the aim of expediting the process of fillingthe positions.

Regarding the order of preference of candidates after they submit their applications during the first two months of each year, he said that the EDY will ask candidates to indicate their order of preference for the various positions for which they have applied, so that a candidate appointed to their first-choice position will bebe removed from consideration for the other positions.

“In this way, we will put an end to the constant movement of candidates from one position to another, which creates staffing problems,” he added.

She also noted that provisions are being drafted to submit the lists of positions for which a general written exam or a specialized exam is required to the House of Representatives annually for approval.

Responding to a question from DISY MP Savias Orfanidou about why this is being done, Ms. Azina said that “it is unnecessary bureaucracy” and added that “Parliament is called upon to approve or reject the lists and cannot amend them.”

“We believe that the executive branch has the knowledge of both the operational needs and the specific circumstances of each agency to determine how these positions (of an administrative nature, rather than a legislative one) should be funded,” he added.

Furthermore, he noted that the bill stipulates that for positions for which a special written examination is warranted by the relevant Advisory Committee—based on documented reasons pertaining todifficulties in filling them, these positions will be determined by a decree of the Council of Ministers to be issued by December of the year preceding the announcement of the vacancies.  

He also stated that the bill grants the Public Service Commission (EDY) the authority to administer a written government examination, rather than the Special Committee, which is currently responsible for administering the general written examination and which is being abolished. He added that the Special Committee currently consists of the Chair of the PSB, the Director of the Personnel Department, and the Examinations Office.

She noted that the EDY will decide both the type and the organization of the exams, adding that currently the Special Committee decides on the type of exams (comprehensive or specialized).

This, he continued, will also reduce the need for the Cabinet to issue a decree exempting certain positions so that specialized exams can be administered.

He noted that every December, before the positions are published, the Council of Ministers will have the right to decide that certain positions will not be forwarded to the EDY so that it can organize the general exams itself, to exempt them for specific reasons so that special exams can be held—as is currently done through the lists.  

Ms. Azina also said that the scoring points for the evaluation criterion of the relevant department head are being increased to 15 points, up from 5 today, while noting that an amendment may be made to reduce the points to 10 following a recommendation by the EDY.

Furthermore, a representative of the Ministry of Finance stated that information will be provided regarding the procedure for filling the positions—specifically, whether they will be subject to the general written examination administered by the EDY or to a special written competition conducted by the relevant advisory committee at the agency to which the position belongs.

EDY President Georgios Papageorgiou called on members of Parliament to help ensure that the bill is functional, effective, and capable of achieving the goals that have been set, adding that the EDY is in full agreement with the bill’s objectives and philosophy.

He noted that the existing legal framework has, for decades, helped instill in the public the perception that decisions are made based on objective criteria, despite its shortcomings, while appeals have been virtually eliminated (only one in recent years).

Regarding the main bill, Mr. Papageorgiou said that he has identified certain technical and operational shortcomings and added that the EDY’s recommendations have been adopted by the Ministry and will be submitted to the Committee.  

He noted that the questions include, among other things, at what stage a candidate’s preference for the positions to which they have applied is indicated and when this preference is taken into account.

Furthermore, Mr. Papageorgiou raised the question of who will administer the exams and added that at this time “the only agency interested in administering the exams is the Ministry of Education.”

A representative of the Legal Service stated that the bills do not raise any constitutional or other legal issues.

“The proposed changes can be supported and moved forward,” he added.  

The President of the EDY said, in response to reports of subjectivity, that the EDY has taken various measures to limit subjectivity.

“We have contributed to this effort by establishing specific criteria,” he noted, adding that the number of appeals has also been reduced.

PASYDY Secretary-General Stratis Matthaios said that the current exam system has failed, judging by the results, and added that it takes two years to fill positions.

He also noted that the bill incorporates PASYDY’s positions and recommendations.  

Prodromos Christofias, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Pancyprian Union ISOTITA, said that there had been no consultation on the bill and “we were not invited.”

He noted that the union was not informed about the bill and “we are learning about it today and must take a position within five days.” In response, the Ministry of Finance spokesperson said that the bills concern first-time appointments and do not affect current employees, while Mr. Christofias noted that the union has members with permanent employment contracts who are eligible to apply for entry-level positions.

Mr. Christofias also said that ISOTETA disagrees with increasing the weight of the evaluation score given by a candidate’s supervisor for an interdepartmental promotion, while proposing, among other things, that experience be scored on a scale of 0–15 points, the supervisor’s evaluation at 0–5, with the total of 150 remaining unchanged in all cases and the experience score not lower than the supervisor’s evaluation.

Speaking at the session, the Committee Chair, DIKO MP Christiana Erotokritou, said that “despite the fact that we are all discussing this as the bill that will change government exams and the hiring process in the public sector,” she assesses the bill as “the most substantial effort made to date to fundamentally reform the public service of tomorrow so that it can serve citizens better and meet the needs of this country.”

Yiannis Laouris, a member of parliament for Direct Democracy, said that “our criteria are simplification, transparency, and speed,” and added that they would scrutinize any attempt to introduce subjectivity.

“We, too, hold a similar position regarding the increased weight given to the supervisor’s opinion, because that, too, is a form of subjectivity,” he added.  

Furthermore, in remarks following the session, DISY Parliamentary Spokesperson Dimitris Dimitriou said that, in principle, “as DISY, we view the intention to modernize the appointment system positively.”

“It is positive for candidates to have the opportunity to rank their choices in order of preference, so as to address the issue of mobility, at least during the first year for new civil servants,” he added.

He noted that moving forward, answers must be provided for various issues and “we must view them through the proper lens.”

“For example, it is unacceptable for the lists of positions not to be submitted to Parliament and not to receive the House’s approval,” and it is unacceptable for the situation regarding exemptions not to be subject to certain limits and restrictions.

He also said that “there must be a timeline for specialized positions specifying when the exams will be held, over what timeframe, and what the exam material will be, so that citizens, in the spirit of equality before the law and equal citizenship, know when and on what material they will be tested.”

“The plan to triple the weighting of department heads’ evaluations for first-time appointments—from 5 to 15 points—raises many questions for us,” he noted, adding that this provision cannot remain in the bill in its current form.

Mr. Dimitriou said that various issues were also raised regarding transitional provisions and when the law will take effect, while “a computerized system is also needed specifically for this prioritization system.”

“We have several comments and suggestions that will be raised during the article-by-article debate,” he added.

AKEL MP Aristos Damianou said that “despite the efforts made through previous changes, distortions, injustices, and malfunctions continue to exist.”

“The need to streamline and modernize the system is clear,” he added.

He noted that AKEL has specific proposals on these issues that will be submitted in the coming weeks.

Mr. Damianou said that “today we highlighted certain points that should be prerequisites for any vote in favor of the proposals.”

He noted that “the first is to address attempts to increase subjectivity—that is, the role of supervisors in the evaluation process”—and added that “there must be fair treatment—and this must be evident—and, to the extent possible, the elimination of subjectivity.”

He also said that the second point is “to ensure the functionality of the laws, but without taking away citizens’ rights.”

“Let alone creating conditions of opacity throughout the entire evaluation process,” he added.

He also noted that the third point is “to maintain the role of Parliament as it is, because the expanded role of the Cabinet, combined with the government’s attempt to strip the House of Representatives of its ability to intervene, significantly undermines institutional checks and balances, something with which, of course, both AKEL and other political forces disagree and which will not be accepted.”

Mr. Damianou said that a detailed discussion will take place in the coming weeks and “we will present specific views on a range of issues.”

ELAM MP Marios Pelekanos said that a general discussion had taken place regarding the bills concerning the reform of the civil service recruitment system and that in a subsequent session they wouldproceed to a clause-by-clause debate. “From the initial discussion that has taken place, it appears that the bills that have been submitted aim to change the system in such a way so as to strengthen meritocracy on the one hand and implement modernized procedures on the other, which will ensure that the public sector recruits individuals who possess both the necessary knowledge and the appropriate personal qualities," he said.

He noted that more could be said during the article-by-article debate, where “we will take a much more specific position.”

Odysseas Michaelides, President of the “Alma Politis for Cyprus” organization, said regarding the civil service recruitment system that “unfortunately, behind the need to simplify certain procedures—which do indeed seem to cause hardship for citizens when they apply for a position—the government is seeking to increase the scope for favoritism”.

“Our position is that the procedures should remain such that meritocracy is ensured as much as possible, and this will be our position when the relevant bills are debated article by article,” he concluded.

Source: CNA