Hotel Licensing Framework Extended To 2028 As Industry Flags Risks

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

April 20, 2026

The Hellenic Parliament has approved a fifth legislative package that extends the power of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism to grant operating licenses for hotels and tourism accommodations until December 31, 2028. The measure passed with 25 votes in favor, one against, and 15 abstentions, setting the stage for a prolonged period of regulatory leniency within the industry.

Delayed Licensing And Competitive Disadvantages

Support for the bill came from ten members of the Democratic Rally (DISHY) parliamentary group, along with representatives from DIKO, ELAM, DIAPA, the Ecologists, and independent parliamentarian Eirini Charalambidou. In contrast, independent parliamentarian Kostis Efstatheou voted against the measure, while members from AKEL, DISHY’s Kyriakos Chatzigiannis, and EDEK’s Marinos Sizopoulos abstained.

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Critics, including Chatzigiannis, argue that these extensions effectively allow unlicensed operations to persist, thereby creating an uneven competitive environment that undermines the legal tourism sector in Cyprus.

A Call For Regulatory Reform

Kyriakos Chatzigiannis, head of the Commerce Committee and DISHY member, expressed concern that prolonging grace periods for illegal operations fails to address the underlying issues. He emphasized that repeated extensions entrench a system in which up to 850 establishments continue to operate without proper accreditation.

Earlier, the committee proposed a specialized legalization framework for hotel units, but the Deputy Ministry of Tourism rejected this approach in favor of maintaining the extension policy.

Industry Concerns Over Repeated Extensions

Concerns continue to grow among industry observers and legislators. During the parliamentary debate, Chatzigiannis proposed extending the document submission deadline for hotels until December 31, 2026, instead of the current six-month window that coincides with the mid-tourism season.

Kostas Kosta, representing AKEL, criticized previous extensions, noting that a predictable pattern of delays allows non-compliant establishments to continue operating. He also pointed out that the licensed framework expired in November, leaving a regulatory gap in which unaccredited hotels effectively operated outside the system for several months.

Regulatory Ambiguity And The Way Forward

Independent socialist MP Kostis Efstatheou criticized the reliance on administrative extensions, arguing that such measures mask broader regulatory weaknesses. In his view, a functioning system should enforce compliance rather than repeatedly postpone deadlines. He questioned whether granting further extensions aligns with the principles of the rule of law, stressing that meaningful reform requires strict adherence to licensing standards.

The decision to extend the licensing framework until the end of 2028 represents not only an administrative decision but also a broader commentary on the challenges facing the Cypriot hospitality sector. With regulatory ambiguities prolonging unlicensed operations, stakeholders across the industry are calling for stronger enforcement and sustainable reforms to ensure a level playing field.

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Women Make Up A Majority Of The EU’s Science And Technology Workforce But The Real Gap Is Elsewhere

by News Editor

June 25, 2026

Women now make up the majority of the EU’s science and technology workforce. According to Eurostat, in 2025, more than 81.6 million people aged 15 to 74 were employed in science and technology occupations across the EU. Of those, 52.5% were women, equal to 42.8 million women. The number of women in these occupations rose by 27.9% compared with 2015, an increase of more than 9.3 million over a decade.

On the surface, the numbers resemble progress. However, Eurostat’s category requires context before that figure can be read accurately. The data refers to HRST, or Human Resources in Science and Technology, specifically people employed in science and technology occupations. These are roles where the main tasks require professional or technical knowledge in physical and life sciences, but also in social sciences and humanities. That definition is wider and broader than engineering, ICT, laboratory science, or high-tech research alone.

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Zooming In

The gender picture changes once the data moves from a wider definition of the workforce to the narrower scientist-and-engineer (research and manufacturing) subgroup.

Scientists and engineers represented almost a quarter of all people employed in science and technology in the EU in 2025. Eurostat describes scientists and engineers as often being the innovators at the centre of technology-led development, making them an important subgroup to focus on separately.

Women accounted for only 40.8% of scientists and engineers in 2025, despite making up more than half of the wider category. That share has increased by a mere 0.5 percentage points over the past decade. The absolute number of women working as scientists and engineers rose from 5.3 million in 2015 to 8.2 million in 2025, despite the push from national and international organisations to increase the number of women in the field. Europe has expanded the number of women in science and technology occupations over ten years. However, that expansion has not extended equally into the scientist-and-engineer subgroup, where much of Europe’s research and innovation work is conducted.

In 2025, of the 39.4 million women aged 25 to 64 working in science and technology occupations in the EU, 35.5 million worked in service activities. Only 2.7 million worked in manufacturing. Women accounted for 57.5% of science and technology employment in services, but only 31.3% in manufacturing.

In 2025, the highest shares of women employed in science and technology occupations were recorded in Latvia at 62.4%, followed by Hungary’s Great Plain and North region at 61.1%, Estonia at 60.5%, Poland’s Central macroregion at 60.4%, and Lithuania at 60.3%. No EU country recorded a majority of women among science and technology workers in manufacturing.

Break-down

Eurostat’s figures measure employment in broad science and technology occupations. They do not show job security, pay levels, management roles, promotion rates, research leadership, or whether women are concentrated in junior or senior workplace positions.

The classification of “senior” also requires additional explanation. Eurostat reports that 45.9% of science and technology workers aged 25 to 64 in the EU were classified as “senior” HRST in 2025. In this dataset, “senior” refers to workers aged 45 to 64. It does not mean senior manager, senior researcher, team lead, or decision-maker.

A high female share in the wider Human Resource Science and Technology (HRST) category does not parallel equal representation across scientists, engineers, manufacturing roles, senior posts, pay, research funding, or decision-making. These figures also reflect the occupational mix inside each country or region, not only structural progress across all areas of science and technology.

The Case Of Cyprus

Eurostat data places Cyprus’s overall science and technology employment at 37.2% of the labour force in 2025, slightly above the EU-27 figure of 36.9%, and above Greece at 26.8%, Malta at 33.9%, and Turkey at 18.2%. This figure covers the total share of the labour force employed in science and technology across all genders.

Progress Or Work-in-Progress?

52.5% in the broad category. 40.8% among scientists and engineers. 31.3% in manufacturing. Europe’s gender gap in science and technology hasn’t closed yet, and there is still work to be done to encourage and support more women to enter the field, especially in research and manufacturing.

Let’s not wait another decade for another couple of percentage points of hope.

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