Brussels, 30/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 30 October, the European Commission welcomed the in-depth investigation that the Qatari authorities have decided to open into allegations of maltreatment of migrant workers at a time when the World Cup, to be held in Qatar in 2022, is seeing substantial building works.
“The EU intends to closely monitor implementation of the commitment made by the Qatari 2022 World Cup organising committee guaranteeing fair treatment for workers”, the Commission says (our translation). With the Qatari labour code the source of abuse of foreign workers, who risk imprisonment if they break their contract, the Commission believes the World Cup offers the ideal opportunity for far-reaching revision of the code. MEP Marc Tarabella (S&D, Belgium) does not believe that Qatar will be able to provide decent working conditions for the 500,000 workers it is planning to take on for the World Cup. He urges, therefore, that the competition be awarded to another country. (IL)