On the 8th of April 2025, the Audit Service of the Republic of Cyprus announced the publication of the Report entitled "Is the migration issue managed on the basis of the established legislative framework and in accordance with the principles of economy, effectiveness and efficiency?" (GR). The report takes stock of migration management in the Republic of Cyprus by looking at main challenges, costs and management weaknesses of migration policy in the period 2021-2024.
The Press and Information Office announced on 21 May that the Deputy Minister would attend the session of the Parliamentary Committee for the Monitoring of Development Plans and Control of Public Expenditure on 22 May, where report would be discussed. During the session, the report was presented by the Auditor General and several members of the parliament posed questions to Mr. Ioannidis. His responses were followed by statements from different members on the parliament evaluating the state of migration and asylum management in Cyprus. After the session, members of the press also posed questions to Mr. Ioannidis. The exchanges can be consulted in detail here. Specifically: Commenting on the finding that ?290,000 people had not been traced?, Mr. Ioannidis highlighted that most of those numbers refer to persons that arrived as tourists and had not applied for asylum. He acknowledged that this situation is the result of a gap in the information systems, which may not have identified people who departed with another passport, and efforts are being stirred to address the question.
Furthermore, Mr. Ioannidis also noted that based on the improvement of infrastructure in view of Schengen accession, a European system that will be able to identify arrivals and departures will be integrated in autumn. Responding to MPs on what can be done for the faster repatriation of rejected applications, Mr. Ioannidis said that he is in coordination with the Ministry of Justice for the creation of a mechanism so that immediate actions can be taken to settle the withdrawal when the final decision is issued by the court. Mr. Ioannidis furthermore highlighted that the Deputy Ministry is working on the development of a strategy for the integration of legal migrants, so that those legally residing in the Republic of Cyprus can learn the language, be trained in skills, and be able to socialize in Cyprus, and to avoid phenomena of ghettoization and delinquent behavior.
At the end of the session, Mr. Ioannidis gave a series of statements overall reaffirming the institutional respect for the work of the Audit Service and declaring its commitment to transparency and good administration. On the financial aspects of the report, the Deputy Minister clarified that most of the expenses concern operating expenses and infrastructure, such as the upgrade of the "Pournara" First Reception Center and the construction of the Accommodation Center and Pre-Removal Center in the Lakes, projects that are expected to be completed within 2025.