In a Cyprus where thousands of citizens of other European Union member states live, work, pay taxes and raise their children, a state regulation remains in force that treats them as second class citizens. It concerns the tuition fee subsidy for students belonging to the religious groups of Armenians, Maronites and Latins who attend specific private schools. The subsidy, which is significant as it covers 40% of tuition fees, was introduced as a measure to support the constitutionally recognised religious groups, enabling their children to attend schools linked to their community, language, history and identity. However, 21 years later, the criterion of Cypriot citizenship remains unchanged, excluding children of European citizens who belong to the same communities.
The complaint to Politis
The issue came to light following a complaint to Politis by a mother of two children, a citizen of an EU member state, who has lived and worked permanently in Cyprus for more than 15 years. The children were born in Cyprus, raised here and, according to her, the family belongs to the Latin or Catholic community. On that basis, the mother believed her children would be eligible for the state subsidy granted to students of the Armenian, Maronite and Latin religious groups.
According to her complaint, during the enrolment process she was not informed that Cypriot citizenship was a necessary condition for the subsidy. On the contrary, when one of the children reached the class level at which the subsidy becomes applicable, tuition fees were initially billed with the reduction. Shortly afterwards, however, the family was informed that it was not entitled to the subsidy.
The mother sought explanations from the school and from the representative of the Latin religious group in Parliament, Antonella Mantovani, who referred her to the Ministry of Education. The Ministry, in a written reply, cited two Council of Ministers decisions, according to which the subsidy applies to students who are members of the Armenian, Latin and Maronite minorities and who hold Cypriot citizenship. The response explicitly stated that Cypriot citizenship is a prerequisite for the subsidy and therefore the family’s request could not be satisfied.
European right, Cypriot filter
The mother subsequently appealed to the Commissioner for Administration and the Protection of Human Rights, Maria Stylianou Lottides. The response she received was that the Commissioner’s Office could not further investigate the case, as the relevant decisions had been taken by the Council of Ministers. The Commissioner noted that the subsidy constitutes a positive measure to support recognised religious groups and that there is no issue of discrimination between Cypriot and European citizens, since Cypriot students who do not belong to the specific groups are also excluded.
However, this argument leaves the core issue unanswered. The comparison here is not between children who belong and those who do not belong to the religious groups. It is between children of the same community, with the only distinguishing criterion being nationality. And when European law prohibits, within its scope, discrimination on the basis of nationality, the continuation of such a practice cannot be considered a mere administrative detail. It is a discrimination that the state must address.
