| SE strategy / action plan 1.2.1 S167S2100S3100S433S50 Criteria and evidence- S1 · Status: 67 (adopted, lapsed before 31 Dec 2025, not renewed)
The National Action Plan for the social enterprise ecosystem was approved by the Council of Ministers in January 2018 with measures timed for 2018-2021 (network support 2018-2020, start-up finance 2019, incubators 2019-2021) and was not implemented (EC/Euricse country report 2019); OECD (Dec 2025) still calls it 'Cyprus' main strategy', i.e. no successor: 'adopted but lapsed before 31 Dec 2025, not renewed'. · source 1 - S2 · Dedication: 100 (dedicated national SE strategy or action plan)
The 2018 National Action Plan is a stand-alone plan for the social enterprise ecosystem (EC/Euricse 2019; OECD 2025): 'dedicated national SE strategy or action plan (adopted)'. · source 1 - S3 · Operational content: 100 (measures with responsible bodies, quantified targets and a budget)
The plan has an anticipated budget of EUR 3.1m, quantified targets (start-up grants for 80 social enterprises, two incubators, a EUR 500,000 micro-loan scheme) and named bodies for measures (Department of Labour for employment subsidies; Ministry of Labour ESF Unit) (EC/Euricse 2019): 'measures with responsible bodies, quantified targets and a budget'. A lapsed plan keeps its S2-S5 levels. · source 1 - S4 · Monitoring: 33 (monitoring foreseen in the text)
The plan names the Ministry of Labour's ESF Unit as monitoring authority, but as the plan was never implemented no monitoring activity or progress report is recorded: 'monitoring foreseen in the text'. · source 1 - S5 · Participation of SE organisations: 0 (no evidence)
The report does not identify who drafted the plan; a 2013 Ministry of Finance working group and the 2017 public consultation concerned the strategy idea and the draft law, not the plan, and no SE organisations are named: 'no evidence'. · source 1
| 60.0 |
| Institutional structure & dialogue 1.2.2 I167I2100I30I40 Criteria and evidence- I1 · Lead responsibility: 67 (a ministry named responsible in a law, decree, adopted strategy or its statutory functions, within a broader unit)
Under Law 207(I)/2020 the Commissioner of the Authority for Cooperative Societies acts as registrar of social enterprises, a function within a broader regulator: 'a ministry named as responsible in a law ... within a broader unit'. · source 1 - I2 · Breadth of mandate: 100 (the social economy / SE broadly)
Law 207(I)/2020 art. 4 makes the Registrar of Cooperative Societies also Registrar of Social Enterprises, and art. 6 opens the status to any 'enterprise' (general-purpose or integration); the Authority thus covers cooperatives and social enterprises of any form: 'the social economy / SE broadly'. · source 1 - I3 · Consultative body with SE organisations: 0 (none, or only in a draft)
Law 207(I)/2020 provides for no advisory or consultative committee, and the OECD note (2025) 'does not describe a formal government consultative body', only non-governmental networks: 'none'. · source 1 - I4 · Inter-ministerial coordination: 0 (none)
OECD notes that other ministries 'play a role depending on sectoral focus' with 'few formal co-operation mechanisms'; no inter-ministerial SE mechanism is described: 'none'. · source 1
| 41.7 |
| Social clauses in public procurement 2.3.2 P1100P267P30P433 Criteria and evidence- P1 · Legal basis: 100 (reservation or preference explicitly for SE/SSE entities (e.g. Directive 2014/24 Art. 77 transposed, a national SSE quota))
Law 73(I)/2016 (consolidated) contains art. 7 'Συμβάσεις ανατιθέμενες κατ’ αποκλειστικότητα' (sheltered workshops and integration operators, at least 30% disabled or disadvantaged workers; Directive Art. 20) and art. 77 'Αποκλειστικές συμβάσεις για ορισμένες υπηρεσίες', the transposition of Directive Art. 77 (contracts for certain health, social and cultural services reserved to organisations with a public-service mission, reinvested profits and participatory governance): 'reservation or preference explicitly for SE/SSE entities (e.g. Directive 2014/24 Art. 77 transposed)'. Art. 77 read from the official table of contents; its text was not opened. · source 1 - P2 · National policy push: 67 (national socially responsible procurement guidance or plan)
A Council of Ministers decision of 1 Jul 2025 reportedly promotes contracts reserved to social-integration enterprises; no source on the decision could be opened (searches in Greek and English found none): 'national socially responsible procurement guidance or plan'. Unverified. · source 1 · low confidence - P3 · Evidence of use: 0 (none)
No national figures or reported cases of reserved contracts or social clauses were found; the OECD note has no procurement content: 'none'. Unverified. · source 1 · low confidence - P4 · Capacity support: 33 (donor- or project-based training only)
SRPP training in Cyprus comes through the European Commission's multi-country project (EISMEA/2022/OP/0014; EU Academy course 'Boosting Socially Responsible Public Procurement: Cyprus', developed 2024 for contracting authorities and social economy entities); no government training programme or helpdesk was found: 'donor- or project-based training only'. · source 1
| 50.0 |
| Official SE definition 3.1 D1100D2100 Criteria and evidence- D1 · Where defined: 100 (in law)
Law 207(I)/2020 on Social Enterprises defines general-purpose and social-integration social enterprises: 'in law'. · source 1 - D2 · Content (social aim; participatory governance; limits on profit distribution): 100 (all three)
Law 207(I)/2020 art. 6 requires a primary social mission, reinvestment of at least 80% (general-purpose) or 40% (integration) of after-tax profits, and management that is responsible and transparent with participation of members, employees and/or customers and other stakeholders: social aim, participatory governance and profit limits, 'all three'. · source 1
| 100.0 |
Legal recognition of SEs 3.2.1 · level 2 of 3Social Enterprises Law of 2020 (ο περί Κοινωνικών Επιχειρήσεων Νόμος, Law 207(I)/2020), amended by Law 126(I)/2023 · sources 1 2 3 4 5L1100L2100L3100L40L550 Criteria and evidence- L1 · Adoption stage: 100 (in force)
- L2 · Scope: 100 (general: SE broadly, including a status open to several legal forms or any purpose)
- L3 · Implementing rules: 100 (all adopted, or none required)
Social Enterprises Regulations of 2023 (Κ.Δ.Π. 393/2023, Official Gazette 5841, 15 Dec 2023), issued under s. 22, which permits but does not require regulations. Registration criteria were approved by the Council of Ministers in July 2025 (FastForward, 22 Oct 2025). - L4 · Status or register: 0 (foreseen with no entity recognised, or law not in force)
Register of Social Enterprises (s. 5), kept by the Registrar of Cooperative Companies acting as Registrar of Social Enterprises; two types, general-purpose and integration. No entity was registered by 31 Dec 2025: on 22 Oct 2025, the parliamentary committee heard that only four businesses had applied. The first three social enterprises (two general-purpose, one integration) were entered on 21 Apr 2026, per the Registrar's statement. - L5 · Bodies foreseen by the law: 50 (not foreseen)
The law creates no council or committee. Refusals can be appealed hierarchically to the minister and then to the Administrative Court (s. 8).
| 70.0 |
| SE support ecosystem 4.3.6 E133E233E333E433E567 Criteria and evidence- E1 · National programme: 33 (project-based only (donor, EU or NGO projects without government lead))
Support is offered by private and non-profit bodies (Hub Nicosia, Future Worlds Center, Cyprus Inno, Go Social Cyprus, Centre for Social Innovation) and a Ministry of Labour-funded training programme for disabled people; OECD: non-profit bodies offer 'training, mentorship and networking'; incubation is only 'expected under the upcoming action plan': 'project-based only (donor, EU or NGO projects without government lead)'. · source 1 - E2 · Territorial coverage: 33 (capital or one region)
The providers listed (Hub Nicosia, Future Worlds Center and others) are Nicosia-based; no network across districts is documented: 'capital or one region'. · source 1 - E3 · Public funding of support: 33 (mainly donor or EU funded)
The support offer is private, non-profit and EU-project based (OECD and Gateway); no national budget line for SE support: 'mainly donor or EU funded'. · source 1 - E4 · Continuity: 33 (under two years)
No continuously operating SE support programme with a start date was documented in the sources opened: 'under two years'. Thin evidence. · source 1 · low confidence - E5 · Range of services: 67 (two)
The Gateway documents mentorship, acceleration and incubation (Cyprus Inno) and a Ministry-funded training programme on registering a social enterprise: incubation/acceleration and registration advice, 'two'. · source 1
| 40.0 |
| EU funds mobilised for SE 5.1.1 F10F233F333F433 Criteria and evidence- F1 · Programming: 0 (SE not mentioned)
The THALIA 2021-2027 programme page names employment-incentive schemes and social inclusion but does not mention social enterprises, social economy or social entrepreneurship: 'SE not mentioned'. · source 1 - F2 · Calls and instruments: 33 (general calls whose themes name social economy or social entrepreneurship, or documented SE grantees in general calls)
OECD (2025) cites EU capacity-building calls on the social economy under the Single Market Programme (2024), and the Gateway points to ESF+ access through the national funding portal; no nationally managed SE call: 'general calls whose themes name social economy or social entrepreneurship'. · source 1 - F3 · Channel: 33 (civil-society grants only)
EU money reaching SE comes through directly managed project grants to organisations, not through government programmes: 'via civil-society grants only'. · source 1 - F4 · Evidence of take-up: 33 (anecdotal)
Only individual projects are known; no count of SE beneficiaries was found: 'anecdotal'. Thin evidence. · source 1 · low confidence
| 25.0 |
| Dedicated national funding 5.2.2 N1100N233N30N433 Criteria and evidence- N1 · Dedicated line: 100 (dedicated line for SE broadly)
The Commissioner of Cooperative Societies and Social Enterprises runs a Social Enterprise Grant Scheme (one-off EUR 10,000 per registered SE, EUR 600,000 for 2026-2027); the plan to allocate EUR 300,000 a year was announced earlier (EC Gateway) and the scheme was approved before its 2026 call: 'dedicated line for SE broadly'. The 2025 approval date rests on the government-work page, which could not be opened. · source 1 - N2 · Instrument types: 33 (one type)
Both the Commissioner's scheme and the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare scheme for disabled persons employed in SEs are grants: 'one type'. · source 1 - N3 · Continuity: 0 (none)
The scheme's funds are for 2026-2027 and it was 'activated for the first time' in 2026 (Filenews, June 2026; CBN, July 2026); no year up to 2025 with the line budgeted or a call issued is documented: 'none'. · source 1 - N4 · Execution: 33 (budgeted or announced only)
On 31 Dec 2025 the line was announced and approved but no awards had been made (first call 2026): 'budgeted or announced only'. · source 1
| 41.7 |
