On January 1, long-standing work visa requirements for Bulgarian and Romanian citizens should have been lifted in eight other European Union countries. Although the two newest members joined the bloc in 2007, many countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Germany, have kept restrictions for Bulgarians and Romanians, out of fear of mass-immigration.
While the 2008 financial crisis dimmed EU fervour across Europe, the UK has turned particularly Eurosceptic. The British parliament rushed through a bill to limit unemployment benefits for EU citizens before January 1. Under the new regulations, non-British nationals will have to wait three months before receiving government aid in an attempt to curb so-called benefit tourism: When EU citizens move to another member state solely to profit from government aid. There is even a proposal to introduce a quota of 75,000 newcomers per year for EU migrants.
Many of these fears stem from 2004, when 500,000 Poles emigrated to Britain, along with thousands of others from the eight new Eastern European members. Prime Minister David Cameron called for an overhaul to the Freedom of Movement, which currently allows EU citizens to move to any country in the union. He also hinted that Britain might veto new applications for membership into the bloc.
Media in other wealthy European nations have been quick to speculate on a large influx of migrants and the strain they will put on government services and the economy, promoting the image of a Bulgarian or Romanian boogeyman eager to take advantage of generous social security systems. Media coverage and government policies show strong undertones of intolerance with clear intentions of preventing "undesirable" migration.
Anti-migrant rhetoric is based on myth rather than fact. A recent study commissioned by the European Commission disproved the benefit tourism theory. Researchers found that not only did few migrants report engaging in benefit tourism, the number of jobless EU migrants claiming benefits was negligible at less than 5 percent in most countries surveyed. Most new arrivals came for work or family related purposes.
Note EU-Digest: multiculturalism is probably one of the major building blocks for the EU to succeed
Read more: Is multiculturalism good for Europe? - Opinion - Al Jazeera English
While the 2008 financial crisis dimmed EU fervour across Europe, the UK has turned particularly Eurosceptic. The British parliament rushed through a bill to limit unemployment benefits for EU citizens before January 1. Under the new regulations, non-British nationals will have to wait three months before receiving government aid in an attempt to curb so-called benefit tourism: When EU citizens move to another member state solely to profit from government aid. There is even a proposal to introduce a quota of 75,000 newcomers per year for EU migrants.
Many of these fears stem from 2004, when 500,000 Poles emigrated to Britain, along with thousands of others from the eight new Eastern European members. Prime Minister David Cameron called for an overhaul to the Freedom of Movement, which currently allows EU citizens to move to any country in the union. He also hinted that Britain might veto new applications for membership into the bloc.
Anti-migrant rhetoric is based on myth rather than fact. A recent study commissioned by the European Commission disproved the benefit tourism theory. Researchers found that not only did few migrants report engaging in benefit tourism, the number of jobless EU migrants claiming benefits was negligible at less than 5 percent in most countries surveyed. Most new arrivals came for work or family related purposes.
Note EU-Digest: multiculturalism is probably one of the major building blocks for the EU to succeed
Read more: Is multiculturalism good for Europe? - Opinion - Al Jazeera English
No comments:
Post a Comment