UK limits benefits for new EU workers
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LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Britain on Monday moved closer into line with most EU countries that have established barriers to migrants from 10 new member states, slapping a two-year ban on benefit claims and introducing a worker registration scheme.
But with virtually full employment and hundreds of thousands of job vacancies to be filled, the government made it clear the British economy was crying out for skilled migrant workers.
Britain and Ireland had stood alone in Europe with a pledge of no restrictions on immigration from the 10 mostly ex-communist countries that join the 15-member bloc on May 1.
But London said citizens from the accession states would be sent home if they could not pay for themselves at the outset.
"For two years, and possibly longer, we will require accession nationals to be able to support themselves," Home Secretary David Blunkett told parliament.
"If they are unable to do so, they will lose any right of residence and will have to return to their country."
Even if migrants are deported, however, they can return the next day under freedom of movement legislation, officials noted.
And Blunkett stressed that migrant workers -- "from plumbers to pediatricians, dustmen to dentists" -- were welcome.
The measures follow scare stories in Britain's right-wing press warning that thousands of poor migrants will pour in after May 1, overloading Britain's welfare system and stretching its already creaking public services to breaking point.
They come after most other EU states restricted access to labor and welfare. But Britain stopped short of extending a work permit requirement on the new EU states -- a move adopted by Germany and Austria for a seven-year transitional period.
Migrants will instead be required to register with the government once they have jobs in Britain, Blunkett said.
He stressed the government reserved the right -- as already stated in the EU accession treaty -- to "remove all or part of the concessions at any time" should there by a sudden influx.
According to the government's calculations, it will never need to block immigrants. It estimates that only between 5,000 and 13,000 immigrants from the new EU states will come per year.
But Migration Watch UK, which describes itself as an independent think tank and is known for a tough stance on immigration, says 40,000 is a more plausible figure and argued the government's measures were little more than empty rhetoric.
"Our real problem is there appears to be no overall immigration policy," said Andrew Green, the group's chairman. "The real question is how many people do we want on this island?"
Immigration is a key issue in Britain with London the fastest-growing large city in Europe. It is likely to figure prominently in the run-up to the expected 2005 general election.
The opposition Conservative Party said the government was "inventing" policy at the last minute while the Liberal Democrats accused it of pandering to the right-wing agenda.
Malta, Slovenia, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia and Cyprus are all due to join the EU but many states feel they are being treated as second-class citizens after countries imposed restrictions.
Copyright 2004
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
