EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Brussels, 20.7.2021
SWD(2021) 704 final
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT
2021 Rule of Law Report
Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Cyprus
Accompanying the
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
2021 Rule of Law Report
The rule of law situation in the European Union
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Abstract
The structural reform of the Cypriot justice system continues, but is experiencing delay. Draft legislation on splitting the current Supreme Court into a Supreme Constitutional Court and a High Court, and on the appointment procedures of the judges and Presidents of these two new jurisdictions, is pending before Parliament. These appointments would be decided by the President of the Republic, following the non-binding advice of the Advisory Judicial Council. It is important that this reform guarantees judicial independence, in line with EU law and taking into account Council of Europe recommendations. The establishment of a Court of Appeal is also being discussed before the Parliament. The establishment of specialised courts and the restructuring of the courts are ongoing. The new rules of civil procedure have been approved, which aim at accelerating judicial proceedings. The enhancement of the capacity of the Law Office continues, including the separation of functions and recruitment procedures. Further reforms aim at overcoming important challenges for the efficiency and quality of the justice system, in particular for digitalisation. Civil, commercial and administrative judicial proceedings remain very lengthy.
Cyprus continues to improve its legislative framework to combat corruption, although a few important reforms remain pending, such as setting up an anticorruption agency, protection of whistleblowers, regulation of lobbying and asset disclosure for elected officials. The Office of Transparency and Prevention of Corruption has been tasked to oversee the implementation of a new anti-corruption plan for 2021-2026. The investigation of corruption cases continued, with the manipulation of sports competition standing out as a particular risk area, although adjudication of corruption cases remains low. The Attorney General’s Office received new resources, and an amendment to the Criminal Code increased the sanctions for the crime of abuse in office, triggering the possibility to use special investigation techniques in the investigation of this offence. The Government launched an inquiry into the investor-citizen schemes to respond to allegations of corruption involving foreign individuals and high-ranking officials. A new code of conduct focused on anticorruption seeks to improve integrity in the police. During the COVID-19 pandemic, actions launched to provide financial relief were accompanied by measures that sought to mitigate the risk of fraud and corruption.
Freedom of expression and the right of access to information find legal and formal protection in the Constitution. Secondary legislation expressly ensures protection of journalistic sources, fosters media pluralism in the radio and television sectors. Since December 2020, secondary law establishes the framework and conditions for public access to information and establishes the office of the Commissioner for Information. Draft laws envisaged for adoption in the second half of 2021 are geared at strengthening the independence of the Cyprus Radio and Television Authority, reinforcing free speech guarantees and ownership transparency.
The system of checks and balances includes a consultation process as part of a Better Regulation Project. However, the consultation process on draft legislation is limited to discussions within the House of Representatives and concerns exist on the access to drafts by the public. The state of emergency enshrined in the Constitution was not declared during the pandemic. However, restrictions were imposed to citizens and businesses under the Quarantine Law, which empowers the Council of Ministers to issue decrees related to COVID-19 pandemic. Some civil society organisations still face certain challenges regarding the registration framework, as noted in the 2020 Rule of Law Report, though improvements are noted in new legislation, which allows an easier registration of federations of NGOs.
I.Justice System
The court system is composed of six District Courts, six Assize Courts, the Administrative Court, the Administrative Court of International Protection and the Supreme Court. The establishment of a Constitutional Court is ongoing. In addition, there are family courts, rent control courts, industrial disputes courts and a military court. There are 113 judges serving in all courts of first instance and 13 judges serving in the Supreme Court. Supreme Court Judges are appointed by the President of the Republic within the ranks of the judiciary and upon recommendation of the Supreme Court, which the President is not obliged to follow. However, according to an established practice, the President of the Republic follows the recommendations of the Supreme Court, which, based on seniority, proposes the oldest judge in service for each vacancy. The same practice applies to the appointment of the President of the Supreme Court, for which the President of the Republic always follows the recommendation to appoint the oldest judge in service of in that Court. First instance judges are appointed, transferred and promoted by the Supreme Council of Judicature (SCJ), which is composed of all the members of the Supreme Court (the President and 12 Justices). The Prosecution Service is independent and organised under the Attorney General of the Republic. The Attorney General heads the Law Office of the Republic which is an independent service assisting him, not subjected to any ministry. The Attorney General has the power, exercisable at his discretion in the public interest, to institute, conduct, take over and continue or discontinue any proceedings for an offence against any person (legal or natural) in the Republic. The Attorney General is also the legal adviser of the Republic, of the President, of the Council of Ministers and of the Ministers individually. He performs all other functions and duties conferred on him by the Constitution or by statutory law. Cyprus participates in the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. The independent national bar association has regulatory and disciplinary competence as regards its members.
Independence
The level of perceived judicial independence is average. Among the general public, 48% consider judicial independence to be ‘fairly’ or ‘very good’, a share that decreased by 7 percentage points in 2021 compared to 2020. The corresponding figure among companies is 45% and has decreased by 3 percentage points since 2020. This level of perceived judicial independence has been average since 2016.
The splitting of the current Supreme Court into a Supreme Constitutional Court and a High Court is pending before the Parliament. The draft legislation was submitted to the Parliament at the end of 2020, with an ad hoc Committee having been established to finalise the text. This draft currently provides that appointment of the judges and the Presidents of these courts would be solely taken by the President of the Republic. It would set up an Advisory Judicial Council – different from the Supreme Council of Judicature – charged with preparing a list of the most suitable candidates for appointment, which would not be binding on the President. It is important that this reform guarantees judicial independence, in line with EU law and taking into account Council of Europe recommendations Consultation of the Venice Commission on the draft legislation would give reassurance about the proposed reform to that effect. Draft legislation also provides for setting up a Court of Appeals, for which the judges and the President would be appointed by the Supreme Council of the Judicature. After the dissolution of the Parliament on 14 April 2021 in view of the legislative elections on 30 May, the pending bills will be discussed by the newly elected Parliament.
Reforms are ongoing as regards the Supreme Council of Judicature, in order to make it more representative of the components of the justice system. A bill prepared in 2020 proposed the enlargement of the Supreme Council of Judicature (SCJ). This would be composed of the members of the Supreme Court, the President and Justices of the High Court, the President of the Appeal Court, the most senior President of the District Courts, the President of the Association of Judges, the Attorney General and the President of the Cyprus Bar Association. The judiciary expressed the preference for a revised SCJ composed solely of members of the judiciary. This bill is currently pending since the end of 2020 and had not been adopted before the dissolution of the Parliament earlier this spring. It is important that this reform take into account Council of Europe recommendations.
The Action Plan for the strengthening of the Law Office of the Republic is being implemented and a legislation ensuring budgetary independence of the Office is envisaged. Amongst others, the reform includes the restructuring and creation of separate, self-contained directorates within the Law Office to make the separation of the two main functions of the Attorney General more effective, the creation of new posts, the rationalisation of procedures, separation of functions and recruitment procedures. A draft legislation is still under discussion between the Attorney General and the Ministry of Finance concerning the budgetary independence of the Law Office. In order to anticipate the envisaged reform, at the end of 2020, a substantial number of new lawyers were recruited at the Law Office of the Republic and a number of them handle criminal cases including corruption cases.
Quality
Measures are taken to improve the digitalisation of justice but serious concerns remain in this area. Very limited online information about the judicial system is available for the general public. Furthermore, there are very few digital solutions to initiate and follow proceedings in civil/commercial and administrative cases. The introduction of an electronic court administration system is one of the main objectives of the ongoing reforms. However, its implementation and the relevant public procurement procedures have been delayed since 2017. In the meantime, an electronic mini-registry for filing cases was prepared and became operational in 2020 in all civil registries and the Supreme Court to allow for a more efficient processing of applications, pending the full implementation of the e-justice system. The implementation of the registry was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Informative websites on case law and legislation for the public have been further developed. A website managed by the Cyprus Bar Association, provides for open, free of charge, public access to a number of datasets, such as case law and legislation databases. Namely, it provides access to the database of Cyprus case law, Supreme Court of Cyprus case law, European Court of Human Rights case law and Cyprus legislation. Access to national and foreign online databases is provided to the Cypriot Judges by the Supreme Court, which bears the cost.
Efficiency
The justice system continues to face serious concerns as regards its efficiency. The time needed to resolve civil, commercial and administrative cases in first instance courts (882 days in 2019 compared to 737 days in 2018) still remains among the highest in the EU. In administrative justice at first instance, the length of proceedings increased (495 days in 2019 compared to 487 days in 2018) and clearance rates decreased (around 170% in 2019 compared to around 219% in 2018). Since September 2020, a project has been implemented on a pilot basis in the District Court of Paphos to reduce backlogs. Following the recruitment of a number of additional judges, a taskforce has been created which focuses in particular on handling the backlog of cases.
The implementation of the action plan to address efficiency challenges continues albeit with some delay. Within this framework, a bill drafted by the Ministry of Justice and Public Order at the end of 2020 provides for the increase of the civil jurisdiction of the District Court Judges and the Senior District Court judges, with regard to the amount of disputes they can hear and adjudicate, in order to allow more flexibility to the system. The decision taken by the Supreme Court in February 2019 to assign the handling of financial disputes - judicial procedures relating to non-performing loans - to six already serving senior District Court judges, continues to be implemented.
The new civil procedure rules have been approved. On 19 May 2021, the new Civil Procedure Rules were approved by the Supreme Court, replacing the outdated legal framework in force since 1958. These rules, which are not yet implemented, aim at accelerating judicial proceedings and at increasing the overall efficiency of the civil judicial process including as regards the execution of court decisions.
II.Anti-Corruption Framework
A new action plan against corruption for 2021-2026 was adopted, and the Office of Transparency and Prevention of Corruption is tasked to monitor its implementation. The Attorney General has an overall competence to prosecute criminal offences, including corruption. The Prosecution Office provides legal advice to law enforcement authorities investigating corruption offences. A new Attorney General was appointed, accompanied by the recruitment of new staff, and the reorganisation of the office for prosecution of financial crimes. A new bill on access to public information marks an improvement in the legislative framework against corruption.
The perception among experts and business executives is that the level of corruption in the public sector remains relatively high. In the 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, Cyprus scores 57/100 and ranks 12th in the European Union and 42th globally
. This perception has deteriorated
over the past five years
.
The strategic framework on anticorruption has been revised. In January 2021, a new Strategy against Corruption for 2021-2026 was adopted by the President of the Republic and the Minister of Justice and Public Order. The proposed measures concern transparency, accountability and corruption matters, with the goal to reinforce the existing institutions and create new safeguards
. The Strategy includes three pillars
, divided into specific actions
. The Office of Transparency and Prevention of Corruption (placed under the Ministry of Justice and Public Order) has appointed two officers tasked with the inter-institutional coordination and implementation of the Strategy. Every public institution has a focal point on the anticorruption strategy, who reports on the progress regarding the implementation of anticorruption measures under their respective responsibility. The Office of Transparency and Prevention of Corruption collects and centralises information on the implementation of the strategy, and publishes the results on an online platform
. At the end of 2020, the Council of Ministers also launched a national integrity programme based on the International Organization for Standardisation’s (ISO) standard on anti-bribery management system. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for overseeing the implementation of this programme
.
The law on access to public information has been enacted but other anti-corruption legislation is still being discussed in the Parliament. The law on the right of Access to Public Sector Information
, which gives a natural or legal person the right of access to information held by a public authority, came into force in December 2020. The bill for the establishment of an Independent Authority against Corruption and the bill on lobbying have passed the first reading before the relevant Parliamentary Committee. A number of draft bills on assets declaration of elected and State officials remain before the Parliamentary Committee on Institutions, Merit and the Commissioner for Administration
. However, there is no indication on the timeline for the final adoption.
The sanction for the crime of abuse of public office has increased. In March 2021, the sanction for the crime of abuse of office by public officials (whether elected or appointed) was increased from three to seven years of imprisonment
.
The Attorney General office continues to improve its capacity. A new Attorney General was appointed at the end of June 2020. The office has recently recruited 24 first level lawyers mandated to prosecute financial crimes, including corruption, and three officials were moved from the personnel department to the Attorney General office. Between 2013 and 2020, 149 corruption cases were investigated, of which 20 cases were adjudicated (including five cases concerning high-rank officers and politically exposed persons)
. One particular area of risk, regulated by the law on the fight against manipulation of sports competitions
, resulted in several open investigations on corruption (12 cases in 2020, and three cases in 2021) and conflicts of interest (two cases in 2020, and one in 2021) but no adjudications so far
. In the course of 2020, the Attorney General coordinated meetings with the betting association and the police, related to the implementation of the law on the fight against manipulation of sports competitions.
The Government launched a commission of inquiry to investigate the Cyprus investor citizenship scheme. In response to allegations of corruption involving foreign individuals and high-rank officials (including possible participation of politically exposed persons), at the demand of the Council of Ministers, the Attorney General appointed, on 7 September 2020, a commission of inquiry tasked to investigate and examine all naturalisations pursuant to the Cyprus investor citizenship scheme from 2007 until 2020. The commission reportedly examined 6,779 naturalisations based on investment. The preliminary conclusions of the commission, issued in April 2021, indicate that more than 53% of all analysed naturalisations were granted in violation of the law. The European Commission launched an infringement procedure against Cyprus in relation to the investor citizenship scheme.
The prosecution office of financial crimes has been reorganised. In 2020, the office of investigation of financial crimes was reorganised into two divisions: one division responsible for investigating financial crimes, and one supporting division (whose operations started in February 2021) with two police investigators and four forensic accountants
. The supporting unit does cross-support to other units, through financial intelligence analysis and due diligence on suspicious persons. However, the difficulty to attract and retain qualified personnel remains a challenge for the office
. Some investigations of financial crimes are delayed due to the slow response of financial institutions to court disclosure orders and, for some international cases, to the alleged length of foreign authorities’ responses to requests for mutual legal assistance
. In 2020, there was one confiscation regarding a corruption offence involving four defendants, including one civil servant
.
New instruments for improving integrity within the police have been introduced, including an online platform for whistleblowing. In 2020, the Police internal affairs service (PIAS), which is in charge of investigating corruption allegations within the police, launched an online platform for whistleblowing. Since then it has received 141 complaints
: 36 complaints have already been investigated (of which 21 were later dismissed). There is no information on adjudicated cases. In early 2021, PIAS adopted a police code of conduct focused on anticorruption (enshrined into the existing police code of ethics)
, and explained its competences in a community informative leaflet. In case of suspicions of corruption on a police officer, PIAS may decide to perform an “integrity test” on the suspect. While suspicions of corruption are notified to the Attorney General, elements pointing at breaches of disciplinary provisions are sent to the Director of the police, for possible corrective measures. Between 2018 and 2020, 13 cases were referred to the Attorney General office, and one case was adjudicated (with conviction). Currently, there are 11 open investigations, and one pending at the Attorney General’s office.
New provisions have been adopted regarding conflict of interest of Members of Parliament. In February 2021, the House of Representatives adopted a Code of Conduct for its Members, with provisions related to incompatibilities, declarations of asset, gifts and lobbying
. Compliance with the Code will be monitored by a specific Parliamentary Committee. For other civil servants, in addition to the existing administrative law
, an ongoing project aims at designing a common set of principles on conflicts of interests for public officials from all sectors
.
There is no data on the implementation of asset disclosure framework. Although rules on asset declarations are in place, issues were raised as regards the accuracy and verification of these declarations. Furthermore, while rules and sanctions for non-compliance with obligations on asset declaration exist, including for high-rank officials and politically exposed persons (such as Members of the Parliament and the President of the Republic), their effectiveness remains unclear in the absence of any information on the implementation of the asset declaration system. Thus, the concerns set out in last year’s report remain valid.
A draft law on “Reporting Acts of Corruption” is pending approval
by the legislator since May 2017. This legislation would introduce new provisions on the protection of persons reporting acts of corruption, both in the public and the private sectors
.
Actions aimed at preventing fraud in relief schemes have been deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance has launched a control mechanism, linked to the Social Insurance Services’ database, allowing for automatic checks on beneficiaries of COVID-19 related subsidies (also called “special scheme”). In case of violation of the criteria to qualify for the “special scheme”, the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance has demanded for the relevant benefits be returned. In the health sector, price ceilings on essentials for protection against the disease (for example masks, or COVID-19 medical tests) are among the measures aimed at addressing corruption risks.
III.Media Pluralism and Media Freedom
In Cyprus, freedom of expression and the right of access to information find legal and formal protection in Article 19 of the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus. Secondary legislation expressly ensures protection of journalistic sources and fosters media pluralism in the radio and television sector. The Right of Access to Public Sector Information Law (2017) came into force in December 2020 after several delays with the aim to enshrine this right in secondary legislation. The Law establishes the framework and conditions for public access to information held by public authorities and establishes the office of the Commissioner for Information. Two separate bills scheduled for adoption in the second half of 2021 are expected to, respectively, align Cypriot legislation with the Audiovisual Media Service Directive and bolster freedom of the press
. Cyprus distributed a state grant, mainly consisting of advertising revenue disbursed to media outlets to inform the public about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amendments were submitted with a view to strengthening the independence of the regulator for audio-visual media services, the Cyprus Radio Television Authority. Amendments to the Radio and Television Broadcasters Law 7(I)/1998 were submitted in Parliament in order to expressly stipulate the Authority’s functional and effective independence aligning the Law with the Audiovisual Media Services Directive. Furthermore, the selection criteria of the Cyprus Radio and Television Authority’s board members are in line with the Cypriot Code of Public Governance as introduced by Decision 87/869 of the Council of Ministers, thereby ensuring that board members possess a high degree of professional qualifications.
Cyprus’ independent press council, the Media Complaints Commission, consists of 13 members and is responsible for the self-regulation of the news media, both written and electronic. If enacted, the Bill on safeguarding freedom of the press and the operation of media would enshrine the Complaints Commission in law. While the Complaints Commission is entirely free from government interference and judicial supervision, the Media Pluralism Monitor points out that the COVID-19 pandemic and related layoffs have exacerbated longstanding issues whereby the Commission’s work is largely focused on safeguarding employment and salaries on editorial independence.
The regulatory framework in Cyprus which already allows for a certain degree of transparency of media ownership in the audio-visual media sector is expected to be strengthened. The 2021 Media Pluralism Monitor (MPM) recalls the concerns and confirms the risk levels highlighted in the MPM 2020 with regard to the effective implementation of the current provisions and the absence of a framework guaranteeing ownership transparency in the written press and digital media sectors making it difficult to identify and verify ultimate owners or cross-ownership in these sectors. The draft legislation that is currently undergoing consultation, aims to address these gaps by obliging all media outlets to publish audited accounts providing information with regard to beneficial owners.
Mechanisms remain in place to safeguard political independence of the media and to prevent conflicts of interest. While there continues to be no framework regulating state advertising, a state grant of EUR 700,000 - mainly consisting of advertising revenue disbursed to media outlets to inform the public about the COVID-19 pandemic was provided. MPM 2021 considers that the subsidies provided are more diversified than past schemes and that they have drastically reduced the risk factor relating to the indicator on state regulation of resources
The MPM 2021 concluded that there has been an overall decrease in risk in the area of political independence (from 59% to 55%) although editorial autonomy continues to be jeopardised and at high risk due to the pursuit of political agendas by media owners leading to a degree of self-censorship among editorial staff. A detailed mechanism regulating disbursement of advertising revenue for state publicity campaigns beyond the COVID-19 pandemic is being elaborated.
While direct threats remain rare, a case of online harassment and surveillance of a journalist has been reported. Regulatory safeguards for the protection of journalistic sources are in place. When enacted, the Bill on safeguarding freedom of the press and the operation of media is expected to reinforce free speech guarantees both online and offline. Stakeholders have raised concerns related to stalking, a cyberattack on and serious digital harassment of an investigative journalist, particularly through social media exposure. The Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists had published no alerts since the 2020 Rule of Law Report, concerning the Republic of Cyprus.
IV.Other Institutional Issues related to Checks and Balances
The Republic of Cyprus is a presidential representative republic. The President of Cyprus is both Head of State and Head of Government. The House of Representatives is the Parliament and is vested with legislative power. Both Representatives and Ministers have the right of legislative initiative. The Supreme Court is competent to assess the constitutionality of laws in the context of specific cases brought before it
. There are a number of national independent authorities, organisations and institutions that aim to protect and safeguard human rights.
Despite the measures taken to improve stakeholder engagement, public consultation does not always occur at an early stage of policy design and drafting. Open public consultation on pieces of legislation rarely takes place, despite the commitment taken in the context of the Better Regulation Project and the respective circulars of the Ministry of Finance and the Law Office of the Republic. Instead, the consultation process on draft legislation is not very accessible by the public and limited to discussions within the House of Representatives. At this stage, draft pieces of legislation are shared though a standard distribution list of the Ministry of Justice to pre-identified stakeholders so that the latter can provide their views and/or participate in the discussions of the relevant standing parliamentary committees. The Attorney General proceeds with a prior review of draft legislation as regards the observance of the principles of legality and proportionality.
The Government has been empowered to adopt measures to face the COVID-19 pandemic. The state of emergency enshrined in the Constitution has not been declared in Cyprus. However, restrictions were imposed under the Quarantine Law, which empowers the Council of Ministers to issue Orders, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which apply both to citizens and the public authorities and businesses. The Cypriot Parliament monitors regularly the implementation of all COVID-19 related measures. According to information received from the Government, the restrictive measures have so far only been challenged once, with a case brought in 2020 and before the Administrative Court, pertaining to the number of employees up to which offices and other places of work could operate
.
In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ombudsperson has been active to help citizens. Since March 2020 the Ombudsperson has been conducting an awareness campaign in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and the protection of human rights. The Ombudsperson was accredited with B-Status by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) in 2015
and its accreditation will be reviewed in June 2021
.
While some progress has been made, concerns remain as regards the registration of civil society organisations. These concerns were reiterated by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe
namely as regards the ability of NGOs to operate in Cyprus and to the implementation of the legislation on associations which has recently led to the de-registration of several non-governmental organisations. Replying to these concerns
, the Government stressed that the 2017 legislation
introduces elements of transparency and accountability for the operations of NGOs in compliance both with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) guidelines
for protecting NGOs from financing terrorism abuse and with the EU’s fifth directive for the prevention and supervision of money laundering. The registration of federations of organisations is now possible directly without their members being also individually registered
.
Annex I: List of sources in alphabetical order*
* The list of contributions received in the context of the consultation for the 2021 Rule of Law report can be found at
https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/upholding-rule-law/rule-law/rule-law-mechanism/2021-rule-law-report-targeted-stakeholder-consultation
.
Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (2021), Media pluralism monitor 2021 – Report on Cyprus (link to be added when available).
CEPEJ (2020), Study on the functioning of the judicial systems in the EU Member States.
Council of Europe: Committee of Ministers (2010), Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)12 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on judges: independence, efficiency and responsibilities.
Cyprus Bar Association (2021), Contribution from the Cyprus Bar Association for the 2021 Rule of Law Report
Cypriot Commission of inquiry (2021), Interim Report on the procedure of granting citizenship to foreign investors and businessmen (
https://www.pio.gov.cy/assets/pdf/newsroom/2021/04/Interim Report 27 04 2021(pdf).pdf
).
Cypriot Government (2021), Input from Cyprus for the 2021 Rule of Law Report
Directorate-General for Communication (2019), Flash Eurobarometer 482: businesses’ attitudes towards corruption in the EU.
Directorate-General for Communication (2020), Special Eurobarometer 502: corruption.
GRECO (2020), Fourth Evaluation Round - Second Compliance Report on Cyprus on corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors (
https://rm.coe.int/fourth-evaluation-round-corruption-prevention-in-respect-of-members-of/1680a06389
)
European Commission (2020), 2020 Rule of Law Report - The rule of law situation in the European Union
European Commission (2020), Investor citizenship schemes: European Commission opens infringements against Cyprus and Malta for “selling” EU citizenship, INFR(2020)2300 (
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1925
).
European Commission (2021), EU Justice Scoreboard.
European Commission Press Corner (2021), June infringements package: key decisions (
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/inf_21_2743
).
Republic of Cyprus Presidency, Exandas Communication and Information website (
https://exandas.presidency.gov.cy/
)
Financial Action Task Force (2015), Combating the abuse of non-profit organisations (Recommendation 8) (
http://www.fatf-gafi.org/media/fatf/documents/reports/BPP-combating-abuse-non-profit-organisations.pdf
)
Fundamental Rights Agency (2021), Contribution from the Fundamental Rights Agency to the 2021 Rule of Law Report.
Kathimerini (2021), Interim report on golden passports delivered (
https://knews.kathimerini.com.cy/en/news/interim-report-on-golden-passports-delivered
).
Letter from Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights to Mr. Nicos Nouris, Minister of Interior of Cyprus (2021) (
https://rm.coe.int/letter-to-mr-nicos-nouris-minister-of-interior-of-cyprus-by-ms-dunja-m/1680a1c09b
).
Letter of Reply of Mr. Nicos Nouris, Minister of Interior of Cyprus to Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights (2021) (
https://rm.coe.int/reply-of-mr-nicos-nouris-minister-of-the-interiorof-cyprus-to-the-lett/1680a1cb15
)
OECD (2019), Indicators of Regulatory Policy and Governance – Cyprus.
Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, “Cypriot Journalist Says He is Being Spied on and Fears for His Life” (
https://www.occrp.org/en/daily/12631-cypriot-journalist-says-he-is-being-spied-on-and-fears-for-his-life
).
Reporters without Borders (2021), Contribution from Reporters without Borders for the 2021 Rule of Law Report
Reporters Without Borders (2021), 2021 World Press Freedom Index – Cyprus (
https://rsf.org/en/cyprus
)
Sigma Live (2021), Report on citizenship (
https://www.sigmalive.com/news/politics/795517/ekthesi-politografiseonto-53-ektos-nomikou-plaisioupeitharxikes-efthynes
).
Supreme Court of Cyprus (2021), Contribution from the Supreme Court of Cyprus for the 2021 Rule of Law Report.
Transparency International (2021), Corruption Perceptions Index 2020.
Annex II: Country visit to Cyprus
The Commission services held virtual meetings in April 2021 with:
·Ministry of Justice
·Supreme Court
·Cyprus Bar Association
·Office of Transparency and Prevention of Corruption
·Police - Internal Affairs Service
·Police - Office of investigation of financial crimes
·Radio-Television Authority
·Press and Information Office
·Attorney General Representatives
·Ministry of Interior – Media
·Cyprus Integrity Forum
* The Commission also met the following organisations in a number of horizontal meetings:
·Amnesty International
·Center for Reproductive Rights
·CIVICUS
·Civil Liberties Union for Europe
·Civil Society Europe
·Conference of European Churches
·EuroCommerce
·European Center for Not-for-Profit Law
·European Centre for Press and Media Freedom
·European Civic Forum
·European Federation of Journalists
·European Partnership for Democracy
·European Youth Forum
·Front Line Defenders
·Human Rights House Foundation
·Human Rights Watch
·ILGA-Europe
·International Commission of Jurists
·International Federation for Human Rights
·International Planned Parenthood Federation European Network (IPPF EN)
·International Press Institute
·Netherlands Helsinki Committee
·Open Society European Policy Institute
·Philanthropy Advocacy
·Protection International
·Reporters without Borders
·Transparency International EU
