On 30 July 2026, the Council approved amendments to Cyprus’s recovery and resilience plan (RRP), following a reasoned request from Cyprus on 17 July 2026. The changes, based on objective circumstances, drop one measure due to lack of demand and simplify seven others to reduce administrative burden while maintaining their objectives. The EU financial contribution remains unchanged at EUR 1 020 223 681, and the estimated total cost of the amended plan is EUR 1 022 123 510.
The amended plan replaces the Annex to the Council Implementing Decision of 28 July 2021, which originally approved Cyprus’s RRP under the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The Commission assessed the amendments as not affecting the plan’s positive evaluation against all criteria in Article 19(3) of Regulation (EU) 2021/241. The measure being dropped, C3.3R2 (Supporting Fast-Track Business Activation Mechanism), was found to be no longer achievable due to lack of demand. The seven simplified measures span reforms and investments in areas such as public administration, digitalisation, and competitiveness, including C1.1R1, C3.1I11, C3.4I3, C3.4I6a, C3.4R9, C5.1R1, and C5.2R1.
The amendments reflect a broader trend in the EU’s recovery framework, where member states have increasingly sought to adjust their plans in response to changing circumstances. This is the first such amendment for Cyprus since the original approval in 2021. The decision is expected to ease implementation burdens for Cypriot authorities, allowing them to focus resources on measures with higher impact. For businesses, particularly those that would have used the fast-track activation mechanism, the removal of the measure may mean fewer streamlined procedures for starting operations, though the simplification of other measures could reduce compliance costs. The unchanged financial contribution ensures that Cyprus retains access to the full allocated funds, supporting its reform agenda. The Council’s approval now paves the way for the Commission to update the operational arrangements and for Cyprus to proceed with the revised implementation timeline.