Filenews 28 October 2025 - by Eleftheria Paizanou
The state itself seems to be deconstructing the Public Service reform, which was approved in 2022 and has been implemented with difficulty in recent years. This is because, in addition to the exceptions given for the implementation of the institution of interdepartmental promotions by various services, now the Ministry of Finance is also abolishing the written exams in the examination centers for high-ranking positions in the Legal Service.
Specifically, according to a bill discussed yesterday in the Parliamentary Committee on Finance and amending the Law on Public Service, the positions of first appointment and promotion of the Legal Service — and specifically the Lawyers of the Republic A', the Senior Lawyers of the Republic and the Prosecutors of the Republic — are excluded from the evaluation through examination centers, so that the evaluation of candidates is carried out by Advisory Committees. Some of these positions are on the A16 salary scale.
The exclusion of the specific positions was made after representations by the Attorney General, due to the constitutional independence and the organizational structure of the Legal Service.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Finance said that the exemption from the written exams in the examination centers is due to the specialized nature of the duties performed by the legal officers of the Legal Service. As he explained, the nature of the duties requires that the evaluation of candidates to fill the positions of the first appointment and promotion should be carried out by the Advisory Committee, as it was applied before the change in the law on examinations in examination centers.
According to the same spokesperson, this is the first time that exemptions from the exams are given in the examination centers. As he said, the Legal Service had raised the issue and, due to its structure, it was decided to abolish the exams. At the same time, he stated that the Advisory Committee will be staffed by the Attorney General and the Assistant Attorney General, as well as Prosecutors, who will propose the most suitable persons for the positions in the Legal Service. Subsequently, a list with four times the number of candidates will be forwarded to the Public Service Commission (EDY).
A representative of the Legal Service noted that the exclusion of these executives from the written exams is important, due to the independence and nature of the duties they perform. As he explained, the Supreme Court ruled that the duties of the officers of the Legal Service are equated with those of the officers of the Judicial Service.
The same spokeswoman underlined that the Advisory Committee will emphasize the personality of the candidate, as these legal officers represent the state in cases of millions. "Someone can be good at written exams, but not have the guarantees to represent the Republic in the courts," he said, noting the specialization of the duties of the employees in the Legal Service.
Another spokeswoman for the Service said that from the beginning of the preparation of the bills for the reform, the Legal Service had submitted a request for the exclusion of the specific positions from the written exams, indicating that the role of the Advisory Committee is crucial.
The MPs shout
The abolition of the written exams caused a strong reaction from members of the Finance Committee, who spoke of the "dismantling" of the reform. At the same time, they expressed their concern that other services will follow after the Legal Service. It is reported that some are trying to do the same for the Parliament. DISY MP, Haris Georgiadis, said that the "personality" argument applies to all services, both in the private and public sector. "Something is wrong with the reform and we are going to undo it," he added. AKEL MP, Andros Kafkalias, wondered where the requests for exemptions from the written exams will stop, saying that next week or next month there may be new requests. DIKO MP, Chrysis Pantelidis, argued that the reform is "being dismantled" and wondered why the Legal Service did not raise the request for an exception during the discussion and voting of the relevant bill. In response, the spokeswoman of the Ministry of Finance said that the intention of the ministry is not to weaken the reform, stressing that where problems are identified, corrections will be made. As he said, three written exam procedures are already underway in the examination centers.
