The Cyprus Law Expert will act as the national legal advisor supporting the operationalisation of the Defence Industry Strategy and the development of the regulatory, administrative and implementation framework required for its delivery.

The Expert will work under the overall direction of the Project Manager and in close coordination with the Key Expert, Defence Law Expert, Industry and Innovation Expert, CYMOD and the relevant national authorities. The Cyprus Law Expert's input is particularly critical during the legislative design phase (Output 6). 

The Expert will focus on:

·       Assessing the compatibility of proposed measures with the Cypriot constitutional, administrative, procurement, public-finance, company-law, competition and sectoral legal framework.

·       Supporting the preparation of legal and regulatory proposals required to implement the Defence Industry Strategy.

·       Advising on the legal feasibility of proposed governance, institutional, procurement, financing, industrial-support and monitoring arrangements.

·       Supporting the development of the legal framework for the national register of defence-industry companies.

·       Providing legal input on local production oversight, test-evaluation-qualification arrangements, export control, international cooperation, investment-screening and financing mechanisms.

·       Supporting the legal structuring of the Action Plan, including responsibilities, decision routes, legal dependencies, implementation conditions and required national acts.

·       Contributing to capacity-building and training materials on the legal and regulatory dimensions of defence-industry implementation.

·       Ensuring that proposed reforms remain consistent with Cyprus’s obligations under EU law and relevant international commitments.

Activity 1: Legal input to the implementation framework and Action Plan

The Cyprus Law Expert will:

·       Review the Draft Defence Industry Strategy, its supporting annexes and the monitoring framework in order to identify the legal and administrative actions required for implementation.

·       Identify the legal acts, regulatory decisions, administrative procedures, ministerial decisions, inter-ministerial arrangements and institutional mandates necessary to deliver the Strategy.

·       Contribute to the development of the Action Plan by identifying legal dependencies, decision routes, responsible authorities, procedural steps, implementation risks and indicative timelines.

·       Advise on the legal feasibility of governance, institutional, procurement, financing, industrial-support and cooperation measures included in the Action Plan.

·       Support the definition of the legal conditions required before actions can be launched, including authorisations, delegated acts, ministerial decisions, consultation requirements, budgetary approvals or legislative amendments.

·       Help ensure that Action Plan actions clearly distinguish between measures that can be implemented immediately through existing powers and measures requiring further legal or regulatory change.

·       Contribute to the monitoring of legal and administrative implementation milestones and support the preparation of legal-risk mitigation measures.

Deliverable: legal and regulatory contributions to the Action Plan, including legal dependencies, implementation conditions, decision routes, responsible authorities and sequencing recommendations.

Activity 2: Legal and regulatory framework for defence-industry development

The Cyprus Law Expert will work with the Defence Expert and Industry and Innovation Expert to:

·       Review the existing Cypriot legal and regulatory framework relevant to defence-industry development and identify the legal changes required to support the Strategy.

·       Contribute to the preparation of a draft proposal for a defence-industry reform law or equivalent regulatory framework, as appropriate.

·       Advise on the legal basis, scope, responsible authority, implementation arrangements and proportionality of proposed measures.

·       Review the compatibility of proposed instruments with Cypriot administrative law, constitutional requirements, public-finance rules and EU obligations.

·       Identify the legal implications of any proposed institutional or governance arrangements, including the possible creation, reinforcement or coordination of dedicated functions, councils, advisory structures or delivery mechanisms.

·       Support the preparation of legal opinions and explanatory notes required for CYMOD’s decision-making and consultation processes.

·       Advise on the legal process and documentation necessary for the adoption, implementation and review of proposed reforms.

Deliverable: legal input to the technical note on the updated regulatory framework, including legal analysis, draft provisions or drafting instructions, explanatory notes and implementation recommendations.

Activity 3: National register and defence-industrial information framework

The Cyprus Law Expert will:

·       Review the legal and administrative requirements for establishing and operating a national register of defence-industry companies.

·       Identify the appropriate legal basis, competent authority, eligibility conditions, registration procedures, information requirements, confidentiality arrangements, data-protection safeguards, reporting obligations and sanctions or incentives, where applicable.

·       Advise on the legal relationship between registration, eligibility for public support, participation in procurement, access to specific programmes and monitoring obligations.

·       Support the preparation of draft legal provisions, administrative procedures and implementing guidance for the register.

·       Review the proportionality of the information requested from companies and ensure that sensitive commercial, technical and security-related information is handled appropriately.

·       Contribute to the definition of a legally sound governance, update and review process for the register.

Deliverable: legal analysis and draft proposals for the national register of defence-industry companies, including legal provisions, procedures and implementation guidance.

Activity 4: Production oversight, qualification, export control and industrial compliance

The Cyprus Law Expert will:

·       Review the legal conditions for local production oversight, qualification, certification, product assurance and related industrial compliance arrangements.

·       Advise on the respective roles of CYMOD, the National Guard, competent technical bodies, certification entities and relevant public authorities.

·       Contribute to legal and administrative proposals for monitoring local production and ensuring compliance with applicable quality, security, safety and contractual requirements.

·       Review the existing export-control framework for military equipment and dual-use items, in coordination with the Defence Expert and Industry and Innovation Expert.

·       Identify legal, procedural and institutional improvements required to ensure proportionate, predictable and effective export-control arrangements.

·       Support the preparation of draft legal provisions, procedures, guidance or service standards relating to export controls, where required.

·       Ensure that proposed export-control arrangements balance national security, EU and international compliance, legal certainty and industrial market access.

Deliverable: legal contributions to local production oversight, qualification and compliance arrangements, as well as export-control reform proposals and supporting legal guidance.

Activity 5: International cooperation, investment and financing mechanisms

The Cyprus Law Expert will:

·       Review the legal basis for international defence-industrial cooperation arrangements, including bilateral agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, joint programmes, shared infrastructure, supplier-qualification arrangements and participation in European instruments.

·       Advise on the legal and administrative conditions required to support cooperation with partner countries, European primes, research organisations and relevant international bodies.

·       Contribute to legal analysis of investment-support, financing and industrial-support mechanisms, including grants, subsidies, guarantees, co-financing arrangements, tax or other incentives, direct investment and support to innovation.

·       Assess the compatibility of proposed financing instruments with applicable Cypriot and EU rules, including state-aid, competition, public-finance and transparency requirements.

·       Support the preparation of legal options and safeguards for the design, approval, delivery, monitoring and review of proposed industrial-support mechanisms.

·       Identify legal considerations related to investment screening, the protection of critical industrial assets, intellectual-property arrangements and strategic dependencies.

Deliverable: legal input to international-cooperation and financing proposals, including legal options, implementation requirements, compliance safeguards and relevant draft provisions or guidance.

Activity 6: Capacity building and legal implementation support

The Cyprus Law Expert will:

·       Contribute to the identification of legal and regulatory themes for the capacity-building programme.

·       Develop or review training materials, practical guidance, case studies and presentations on the legal and regulatory aspects of implementing the Defence Industry Strategy.

·       Support training sessions for CYMOD, relevant ministries, public authorities, industry representatives and research organisations, where appropriate.

·       Contribute to the capstone workshop on the implementation of the Defence Industry Strategy.

·       Provide practical guidance on legal sequencing, institutional responsibilities, regulatory compliance and the use of legal instruments in support of industrial policy.

·       Contribute to the preparation of concise briefing notes, explanatory documents and responses to stakeholder questions on the legal aspects of the Strategy and Action Plan.

Deliverable: legal training material, practical guidance and contributions to the capacity-building programme and capstone workshop.

Activity 7: Cross-cutting coordination and quality assurance

The Cyprus Law Expert will:

·       Maintain close coordination with the Key Expert, Defence Law Expert, Industry and Innovation Expert, Project Manager and relevant CYMOD counterparts.

·       Review draft outputs to ensure legal coherence, consistency with Cypriot law and compatibility with EU and international obligations.

·       Participate in project meetings, technical reviews, stakeholder consultations and workshops as required.

·       Support the integration of legal comments arising from CYMOD, SG REFORM, the European Commission and other stakeholders.

·       Identify legal risks, unresolved issues, decision points and mitigation measures across the implementation package.

·       Support the finalisation of legal and regulatory recommendations and the consolidation of lessons learned.

Deliverable: cross-cutting legal reviews, technical comments, briefing notes and coordination support for the implementation of the Strategy.