The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs Anita Demetriou, met today with the European Commissioner for Justice, Mr Didier Reynders, who is visiting Greece in preparation for the European Commission's fourth annual report on the rule of law in the European Union (EU). During the meeting, issues of the European Commissioner's competence were discussed, with emphasis on issues related to the implementation of the rule of law in the EU and particularly in Cyprus.
Welcoming Mr. Reynders, the Speaker of the House of Representatives stressed the importance of the recommendations of the European Commission in its Report on the implementation of the rule of law, underlining that these are duly taken into account by the Cypriot authorities and especially by the House of Representatives. Ms Demetriou referred specifically to a series of laws passed by the Parliament in the direction of strengthening the rule of law and the fight against corruption in Cyprus, such as the legislation on the establishment of the independent anti-corruption authority, the protection of whistleblowers, transparency in decision-making (lobbying) and the reform of the justice system, which, he said, was passed unanimously by the House, giving the right political signal of the House's intention to contribute to the maximum extent possible to the effort to strengthen the rule of law.
For his part, Mr. Reynders welcomed the adoption by Parliament of the legislative measures under consideration to strengthen the rule of law and fight corruption, while stressing the importance of ensuring the practical implementation of these measures in order to bring benefits to citizens. In particular, he stressed the need for more effective oversight of the implementation of European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgments and judicial decisions at national level. On other issues of common interest, the European Commissioner underlined the importance of the implementation of EU sanctions against Russia following the latter's invasion of Ukraine.
The President of the Parliament assured the European Commissioner that the Parliament is ready, within its powers, to contribute to the monitoring of the implementation of the measures adopted, in order to identify gaps and weaknesses through continuous dialogue with the executive. Furthermore, Ms Demetriou said that the Republic of Cyprus as a member state, but also as a state experiencing the consequences of the Turkish invasion and occupation, is aligned with the European framework for the imposition of sanctions.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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