The Chairman of the Advisory Council, George Arestis, describing the criticism of appointments to the boards of semi-governmental organizations as “excessive.” In statements to CNA on Saturday, he noted that the Cabinet adopted 80% of the Council’s recommendations.
Mr. Arestis said that the Advisory Council, after evaluating the applications, prepared lists of three candidates for each position and submitted them to the relevant minister through the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers.
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“Our role is advisory. We cannot in any way influence the final decision of the Council of Ministers,” he said, noting that the Council’s process is completed with the submission of the lists.
“In other words, our role came to an end four to five weeks after we submitted them. And I cannot understand the criticism,” he added.
Referring to the Council’s recommendations that were adopted, Mr. Arestis said that, “based on the information I have, 80% of our proposals were adopted.”
“And all this fuss is over the remaining 20%? And they’ve even gone so far as to say that the Advisory Council’s role is being abolished?” he asked.
“We did a tremendous job. And 80% of our work was appreciated,” he added.
Regarding the current appointment system, Mr. Arestis said that, in his view, it is better than the one that was previously in place.
“This system is much better than the one that was in place before, under which individuals—the vast majority of whom had no relevant expertise—were appointed to the boards of semi-governmental organizations,” he noted.
According to him, candidates are now evaluated based on their applications and their suitability for the position. “This system is merit-based. There are certainly merit-based criteria, which are much better than those applied previously,” he noted.
Mr. Arestis stated that the system was implemented by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, when he assumed the leadership of the country, and it is through this system that the current Boards of Directors have been appointed.
In conclusion, he reiterated that the Advisory Council plays no role in the final selection of candidates. “The Advisory Council’s role ends once it submits the lists of candidates. It has no say in the final decision,” he said.
Source: CNA
