On the 24th January 2018, the Council of Ministers approved seven bills that will be submitted to the House of Representatives. The bills are set to be voted upon and enforced as provisions of the new Cypriot family legislation. Suggestions were expressed and submitted to the Council of Ministers by members of organisations such as the Commissioner of Gender Equality and the President of the National Machinery for Women’s Rights.
Firstly, the consensual divorce is being introduced. Additionally, the maintenance process is renewed and now a spouse will be required to fully disclose their assets, including their bank accounts. Furthermore, personal communication of the child with both parents is ensured. Moreover, both parents will now have a joint right of parental responsibility, instead of assigning the parental care to the mother of the child only. Notably, the child’s opinion will also be taken into account in family law procedures e.g. regarding which parent the child wishew to live with.
Finally, the amendments include the equal sharing of marital property between the spouses and the issuance of a divorce by one judge instead of three, which was the case until now. This will ensure that divorce proceedings will be adjudicated faster.
It now remains to be seen whether all of the aforementioned provisions will be adopted by the Parliament.
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