Cyprus ministers back EU law protecting vulnerable adults

Justice minister Costas Fitiris and deputy migration minister Nicholas Ioannides on Friday called for unified draft legislation to protect the rights of vulnerable adults across the EU during a meeting of the Council of the European Union.

“Today’s agreement will ensure that adults – especially older people who rely on others for help – can have their choices recognised wherever they move within the EU,” Fitiris said.

Ioannides highlighted the seriousness of the issue in light of Europe’s ageing and increasingly mobile population, stressing the need for the EU to assist people who can no longer protect their own interests independently.

He added that significant effort had gone into drafting the proposed legislation, which will serve as the basis for a future EU law.

The legislation is expected to introduce rules safeguarding the rights of vulnerable adults across the EU, including people suffering from conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, while facilitating their ability to exercise autonomy and freedom of choice.

“The Council agreed its position on an EU law that will guarantee the rights of adults who need protection or support in cross-border situations such as the sale of property, medical care abroad or relocation to another country,” the Council said in a statement.

The proposed legislation aims to clarify bureaucratic procedures in cross-border cases, including which court or authority is competent to take protective measures, which national law applies, and how decisions or powers of representation issued abroad are recognised and enforced.

The issue was discussed during the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting held in Brussels on Friday morning, where member states reached a joint position on the proposal.

“The agreement reached today will serve as the basis for the Council to enter negotiations with the European Parliament in order to agree on a final legal text,” the Council said.

According to EU figures, the proportion of EU citizens aged over 65 with some form of disability is expected to rise by 77 per cent by 2050.

“At the same time, more and more people are exercising their right to free movement within the EU and may live in more than one country during their lifetime or own property in several member states,” the Council added.

The Council stressed that the growing number of people requiring assistance with personal decisions is creating challenges in cross-border situations, ranging from managing property in another EU country to accessing medical care or relocating to another member state.

Such scenarios are common in Cyprus, where many EU retirees choose to spend their retirement years.