Bills for Brits clear House committee

Two bills targeting post-Brexit rights for British residents in Cyprus have cleared the House labour committee, while the language of the bill reportedly provides for a start date that has been left blank.

According to Reporter, the House labour committee has concluded discussions on two bill proposals that would allow British residents in Cyprus to maintain their EU rights in case the United Kingdom pulls out of the union.

The first bill essentially extends the same labour and free movement rights which British subjects are currently afforded in Cyprus as EU citizens.

Reports said an implementation date has not been specified in the drafted bill, but the language in the legislation provides for the President’s Cabinet to set a date at a later stage.

The second bill secures the rights of British subjects in Cyprus who are currently eligible to receive a Minimum Guaranteed Income (MGI). The language in the bill essentially states that any British subject who is either a recipient or eligible to receive MGI shall continue to enjoy these rights after Brexit.

According to media reports, a Cabinet decision earlier this year had decided that in case of a no-deal Brexit, British citizens would keep their rights and obligations as long as the UK government help up its own end of the bargain regarding similar regulations for Cypriots in Britain, such as health care and social welfare benefits.

Last month, a spokesperson for the Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU) told the Cyprus News Agency that the British government had made guarantees to the 30,000 Cypriot nationals living and working in the UK.

“They will have absolute legal certainty of the rights to work, study and access benefits and services on the same basis as now under any Brexit scenario,” the official added.