A European Union law, known as Article 45 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, guarantees the free movement of citizens across the national borders of member states. A special provision of this law is made for workers. A citizen of any county in the European Union may seek employment in any other member state without having to obtain a work permit. European migrant workers also have the right to live in their host country at least until their work contract is finished. This means that landlords are prohibited from discriminating against foreign workers. An examination of the constitution of Cyprus reveals that the country’s laws are in conflict with the provisions of European Union law regarding the free movement of persons.
According to Cypriot legislation, a citizen of Cyprus who is under the age of 45 and decides to move abroad for employment loses his or her entitlement to social security benefits, including pension rights. This means that Cypriot citizens are at a disincentive to travel to other European Union countries, because they lose rights in doing so, and thus they do not have access to the same rights as the citizens of other European Union countries. This constitutes a violation of European Union law. Since the laws of the European Union have precedent over the laws of any member state, Cyprus must revise this law to be in compliance with the directive of the European Union.
In conclusion, I think that this case study shows that it can be both an advantage and a disadvantage for a country to belong to a federation of countries such as the EU. On the one hand, it is a disadvantage to have to comply with the regulations of the EU and to have to cede power to it. On the other hand, the laws of the EU are superior to the laws of Cyprus in this case, and the citizens of Cyprus benefit from having their constitution revised to be in compliance with EU law.
Works Cited
Trimikliniotis, Nicos. "Migration and Freedom of Movement of Workers: EU Law, Crisis and the Cypriot States of Exception." Laws 2.4 (2013): 440-468.
