Τhe reform of the civil service is an ongoing project and it is included in the main structural reform the Government of Cyprus is promoting. In this respect, a number of external functional reviews have already been carried out, while others are currently conducted, covering the ministries and their respective organizations, as well as the independent authorities. One of the main goals of the government is that by the end of 2015, the functional reviews will cover the whole of the public service. Based on the functional reviews conducted by the experts, an action plan will be prepared which will include a timeline of implementation with specific steps and actions, based on which the policy options decided by the government will be realized.
The scope of the functional reviews is to set out policy options which will contribute to the rational and efficient operation of the Ministries, guided by their strategic goals and the overall government policy. Within this framework, the role, organizational aspects and the structure of the Ministries/Organizations are examined, and recommendations on possible mergers or groupings of departments, possible transfer of responsibilities between Ministries might be expected, that will omit possible duplicities and will create consistency and efficiency gains.
The Second Batch of functional reviews, which is underway, covers the Ministries mentioned below, and it is expected to be completed in two stages, in June and December 2015.
- Ministry of Defence
- Ministry of Justice and Public Order
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of Interior
- Ministry of Tranform, Communications and Works
- Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Insurance
- Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism