Cameron calls for tighter rules on EU migrants
PRIME Minister David Cameron has announced a new set of restrictions on migrants from the European Union, promising steps to limit government benefits.
Cameron now says that migrants arriving in the UK from Romania and Bulgaria next year, when controls on their movement in the EU are lifted, will not be able to access out-of-work benefits for three months. He also states that they will only be able to access such benefits for six months, unless they have a genuine prospect of employment.
The UK will also eject European migrants who are begging or sleeping rough, refusing them re-entry for a year.
The Prime Minister also suggests further reforms at the EU level, including preventing freedom of movement for citizens of countries until their economic output reaches a certain level per head.
Writing in the Financial Times, Cameron said that large movements from EU countries are “extracting talent out of countries that need to retain their best people”.
He added: “It is time for a new settlement which recognises that free movement is a central principle of the EU, but it cannot be a completely unqualified one.” According to the article, the Prime Minister believes that interior ministers in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands may agree with him.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg also reportedly agrees with the changes proposed, calling them “sensible and reasonable”.