Public service ‘must regain public trust’

President Nikos Christodoulides said that the government institutions must work to gain the trust of society, while receiving the report from the public service commission (EDY) on Thursday.

The report for 2023 was presented to the president by the head of EDY George Papageorgiou.

“We are living in a period when there is general doubt from society about the institutions, and rightly so. We have to admit that to a large extent this doubt is justified,” he said.

The president added that everyone in public service roles needs to show through their actions that they are working to gain the trust of society and meet its expectations.

“In the great challenge of reforming the civil service, you are one of the most, if not the most, fundamental pillar,” he said.

He added that the reform of the public service needs to modernise the state and make it more efficient for the public.

Christodoulides said that he was glad that compared to previous years, people challenging decisions in court by EDY to hire people in the civil service has decreased.

He added that mistakes can be made, but that there needs to be courage to admit them and correct them.

“We are here to have the courage, whenever mistakes are made, to make decisions and correct them,” he said.

Papageorgiou thanked Christodoulides for being, as he said, “a fellow traveller in the effort of EDY” for modernisation.