The European Commission on Monday defended the progress made by Qatar on human rights and labor rights in recent years in the race to host the World Cup and called for the reform agenda to continue after the tournament.
In a debate at the European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg, France, Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides defended the Gulf country’s «significant progress» on labor rights, including the revision of the ‘kafala’ system, a migrant sponsorship mechanism that gives private companies almost total control over the employment and immigration status of migrant workers.
Kyriakides stressed to MEPs that the organization of the sports competition has made the shortcomings «more obvious» but, at the same time, they have also «accelerated» labor reforms in Qatar. This is a topic of conversation for Brussels in its contacts with the Gulf peninsula, he insisted.
Likewise, he has acknowledged concerns about the treatment of the LGTBI community. «Yes, the Human Rights part is a task that is far from being completed,» said the Cypriot commissioner.
For all these reasons, she has advocated maintaining contact with Qatar to closely follow the opening agenda and ensure that reforms continue once the focus of the soccer World Cup is gone. «It is important that we remain in contact and continue to encourage the Qatari authorities to address the remaining challenges to ensure the sustainability of reforms beyond the World Cup,» she said.
