EuroCOP: Police tensions undermine Cyprus’ EU council presidency

A collapse in social dialogue within the Cyprus police is undermining the island’s EU Presidency, the European police confederation (EuroCOP) warns in a letter to top EU leaders.

The confederation raised the issue in a letter addressed to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, European Council president Antonio Costa and internal affairs commissioner Magnus Brunner.

Dated February 2 and signed by EuroCOP head of office Nigel Dennis, it was also sent to President Nikos Christodoulides and European Trade Union general secretary Esther Lynch.

According to the letter, EuroCOP has been in contact with the police trade union Isotita amid escalating tensions with the chief of police.

The discussions, it said, revealed “a profound breakdown in social dialogue, characterised by a refusal to engage in meaningful negotiations, a lack of replies to official correspondence and allegations of threats directed against union members”.

The letter described these practices as “completely unacceptable and fundamentally incompatible with European industrial relations standards”, adding that the situation is “particularly worrying, given that Cyprus currently holds the EU Council Presidency”.

“At a time when the presidency is expected to exemplify the Union’s core values, the denial of meaningful social dialogue in a crucial public service undermines the credibility of the EU’s commitment to social rights and the rule of law,” it added.

Dennis reminded that the right of workers and their organisations to bargain and take collective action is set out in Article 28 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

The European Pillar of Social Rights, the European Social Charter and a relevant directive on adequate minimum wages also commit member states to promoting these principles, although, he warned, their effective implementation is called into question by the current situation in Cyprus.

According to the EuroCOP head of office, the refusal of the police chief to engage with the police union, together with the lack of intervention by the Cypriot government, constitutes “a failure of leadership and governance, which risks eroding trust within the police service.”

The seriousness of the situation became clear on January 21, he explained, when Cypriot police officers staged a public protest outside parliament. Such demonstrations are highly unusual in Europe and “illustrate profound institutional dysfunction.”

“The prolonged breakdown in relations between the police administration and personnel representatives not only violates social rights, but may have consequences for morale, operational efficiency and, ultimately, public safety,” he continued.

The letter also emphasised that the officers tasked with ensuring the safety of European leaders, commissioners and delegations during events linked to the Cyprus Presidency “are themselves working under conditions of intimidation and the absence of genuine social dialogue”.

“We believe it is important that the EU leadership is fully aware of this contradiction,” Dennis wrote.

EuroCOP, he said, stands firmly with the police trade union, calling for immediate steps to encourage the Cypriot authorities “to restore a substantive, bona fide social dialogue, in line with European standards”.