Cyprus is recruiting construction workers from Egypt and India to replace workers leaving under the government's Syrian repatriation scheme. ^[1] Mousiouttas said the government will submit to the House of Representatives in September the bill for the first pillar of the pension reform, the Social Insurance Fund. ^[2] Oseok, the building contractors' association, said the government is in contact with Egypt and India over ways to bring workers to Cyprus. ^[3] The 2024 memorandum of understanding between Cyprus and Egypt, signed in June 2024, was designed to regulate and facilitate the entry and residence of Egyptian workers and provides for the recruitment of Egyptian nationals with a joint committee overseeing implementation. ^[4] The government's Syrian repatriation scheme provides financial assistance to families returning to Syria and allows one adult family member to remain in Cyprus temporarily to continue working while the rest of the family relocates. ^[5] Marinos Mousiouttas, Cyprus Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, said the pension reform is the most important reform the government undertakes this year. ^[6] Mousiouttas said the reform will bring increases to all pensions, with the greatest support directed to low-income pensioners, and aims for fairness and sustainability so the system remains robust for children and grandchildren. ^[7] Mousiouttas said the education reform is also part of the same reform framework, with a new teacher evaluation system replacing a formal and one-dimensional process with a formative system. ^[8]