Mousiouttas concedes pension reform bill may miss Christmas recess deadline but still targets January 2027

Nicosia, Cyprus. Labour Minister Marinos Mousiouttas acknowledged on Saturday that the government may not manage to table its pension reform bill in parliament before the Christmas recess. He nevertheless said he was confident the reform could come into force in January 2027.

Bill awaiting legal review

Mousiouttas explained that the legal service is still reviewing the bill. Once that review ends, the text will go to the Council of Ministers and then to parliament. He said he had hoped to submit the legislation at an earlier stage.

Despite the shrinking timeframe, the minister maintained that the government could still reach its goal of implementing the reform from January 2027.

Room for amendments

According to the minister, the ministry would be able to respond swiftly to any changes put forward by MPs. He noted, however, that the scope for alterations with financial consequences is limited. “The changes they may want are of a financial nature, for which there is not much room,” he said.

Talks with social partners

Mousiouttas said consultations on the first two pillars of the reform have been completed at the Labour Advisory Body. He has no plans to revisit those talks unless fresh matters emerge or the social partners table a proposal that fits the financial capacity of the fund. The debate, he added, will now shift to parliament.

Discussions on the second pillar, which deals with provident funds, are still under way. The Labour Advisory Body is due to restart its weekly meetings on November 9.