**Welfare Reform to Make it More Responsive to People’s Needs**
The Cypriot government has announced a significant restructuring of its welfare services aimed at enhancing responsiveness to the needs of its citizens. Deputy Social Welfare Minister Clea Hadjistefanou-Papaellina provided details of this initiative during a briefing to the House Labour Committee on Tuesday. The reform is part of a broader effort to promote social cohesion, protect vulnerable groups, and foster a society characterized by equal opportunity and inclusion.
Hadjistefanou-Papaellina emphasized that the restructuring is designed to modernize and improve the effectiveness of social welfare services. She highlighted several legislative initiatives currently in progress, including reforms related to children in the custody and care of social welfare services, a new adoptions law, and an updated legislative framework for nurseries, child carers, and child protection services.
In addition to these legislative measures, the welfare benefits department is being enhanced and is transitioning towards digital technology to streamline processes and improve service delivery. The deputy minister pointed to a recently passed law aimed at improving the inclusion and independent living of people with disabilities, describing it as a historic reform that fundamentally changes the approach to the rights of disabled individuals in Cyprus. The government is also focused on improving disability assessment processes and expanding employment opportunities and social integration for people with disabilities.
“The Christodoulides administration and the deputy ministry of social welfare remain committed to implementing our commitments, aiming at a modern, effective, and people-centered system of social protection that ensures no one gets left behind,” Hadjistefanou-Papaellina stated in her remarks to the media following the committee briefing.
However, the announcement was met with skepticism from some opposition MPs. Giorgos Koukoumas of the left-wing party Akel expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the proposed reforms, noting that discussions regarding the restructuring of welfare services have been ongoing since 2019. He pointed out that Cyprus ranks low compared to other EU countries in terms of support for people with disabilities and stressed the importance of seeing tangible results from the new legislation, which he described as having several drawbacks. “We can’t disregard the fact that disabled people themselves say that their real needs are far larger than the benefits approved by the government,” Koukoumas remarked.
Linos Hadjigeorgiou, an MP from the nationalist party Elam, raised concerns about welfare benefits provided to non-EU nationals. He questioned the deputy minister regarding the financial support given to illegal migrants and called for transparency on the amount allocated for benefits, which he estimated to be around €200 million annually. Hadjigeorgiou urged for an immediate cessation of benefits to individuals residing in Cyprus illegally.
As the government moves forward with its welfare reform initiatives, the effectiveness of these changes and their ability to meet the needs of all citizens, particularly vulnerable groups, will be closely monitored by both supporters and critics alike. The outcome of these reforms may significantly impact the landscape of social welfare in Cyprus in the coming years.