MIPEX study ranked Cyrus second last of all 31 countries covered, concluding that Cyprus discourages integration, with unfavourable conditions for migrant workers to gain long-term access to the labour market and few real opportunities to naturalise. In this context, ECRI notes that third country nationals cannot access numerous professions, including any public sector employment, and are often denied both equal working conditions and social security; even as taxpayers, they cannot claim unemployment benefits or public allowances. ECRI notes that the European Committee of Social Rights concluded in 2011 that the situation was not in conformity with Article 19 §4 of the revised European Social Charter on the ground, inter alia, that it had not been established that migrant workers enjoy treatment which is not less favourable than that of nationals with respect to remuneration, employment and other working conditions. Therefore, the goals of the policy in relation to equal treatment in employment have not been achieved.
ECRI REPORT ON CYPRUS (fifth monitoring cycle)
MIPEX Team
MIPEX team is formed by the members of CIDOB and Migration Policy Group, the leading organization of the Migrant Integration Policy Index project.
