1.9 Current debates and reforms
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Forthcoming policy developments
The major top-level policy development in the youth field that is expected to be finalised in 2025 is the development of the 2nd National Strategy for Youth 2030. The process is coordinated by the Youth Board of Cyprus, which follows a participatory method for the consultation and involvement of all stakeholders.
Another major policy reform is the Council of Ministers’ decision on 22/01/2025 to approve the bill lowering the voting age to 17 and introducing automatic voter registration on electoral lists. This reform aims to strengthen participatory democracy and increase youth engagement in political decision-making. The relevant legislation will be submitted to the Parliament for approval.
Moreover, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, during the presentation of the 2025 Government Programme, on 29 January 2025 announced that, within the framework of the refugee policy and in order to particularly support the young displaced persons, an increased subsidy of 20% will be provided for all housing schemes for home acquisition in the countryside, in rural and disadvantaged areas.
Ongoing debates
As mentioned above, the major forthcoming development in youth policy for 2025 is the drafting of the 2nd National Youth Strategy 2030. During this process, ministries and agencies that participate in the cross-sectoral working group, as well as youth organisations and young people have an active role to play. Thus, several focus groups and consultations are currently organised in order to engage all the stakeholders in the youth field.