Europe debates limits to free movement of workers

Photo: AP/Scanpix

Free movement of workers within the European Union is a pillar of the single market, the shaking of which ought to not even be mentioned. Even so, the debate is on over possible limits to it, as most actively urged by the government of Great Britain.

The genie was let out by Jack Straw, Home Secretary under Tony Blair and a later foreign secretary, now a Labour MP. On November 7^th, he penned a column for the local Lancashire Telegraph in his constituency, unexpectedly declaring that, with his own participation, the UK made a mistake opting to forgo transition period limits to inflow of workers from the new EU member states joining in 2004.

As Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Estonia and other East-European countries entered EU a little less than ten years ago, majority of old member states used the transition period option on free movement of workers therefrom, which may maximally have lasted up to 2011. Into UK, Sweden, Ireland and other countries, for instance, Estonian citizens were free to go work in the very 2004; Finland opened labour market doors to Estonians in 2006, Germany and Austria only in 2011.

Brits did swing the gate open right away; now, however, Mr Straw thinks the decision was faulty. «Thorough studies by Home Office suggested that the impact would be comparatively small, between 5,000 and 13,000 immigrants a year till 2010,» he wrote.

In reality, the amount of those desiring to work in UK proved vastly larger. «Many had to blush, including myself,» wrote the former foreign secretary.

The mea culpa by Straw was a sign of what was to follow – at the end of November, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced a package of measures to lessen UK attractiveness as a destination for such migrants who aren’t interested in working.

New immigrants no longer get housing allowance and, within the first three months, they will not be able to apply for unemployment benefit. Since January, the special jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) cannot, as a rule, be sought for more than six months. Such immigrants as are caught begging or spending nights on the streets will be expelled from the country, except in case they can substantiate their being in UK (like having a job).

According to British media, the package presented by Mr Cameron is timed mainly for January 1^st – that being the date when workers’ free movement limits come off of Romania and Bulgaria which joined EU later. From these countries, it is feared another massive inflow looms. 

According to BBC, things have come to the government even desiring to narrow down the EU workers free movement principle as such. Home Secretary Theresa May says the rules have to be reviewed so as to avoid massive migration. One way would be setting new members a certain GDP level to be achieved first, ere their workers are allowed to go elsewhere.

Even so, at the recent EU Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius – a logical arena to raise the issue – Mr Cameron, to our knowledge, touched the immigration issue not.

Even in UK, not all completely agree to letting Eastern-Europeans in being a mistake. In his blog, Richard Exell, an expert at Trades Union Congress of UK, write that there was no government statistics proving that EU citizens would en masse be fishing for British allowances. 

Mr Exell did, however, refer to a European Commission report stating that, in 2011, the UK had 1.44 million applicants for Jobseeker’s Allowance. Of those, 8.5 per cent were citizens of other countries and only 2.6 per cent were citizens of other EU states. And, finally, a mere 13,000 represented the eight 2004 EU newcomers i.e. less than a percent of all.

As also assessed by the commission, the freedom of movement accompanying expansion of the union has boosted the so-called old EU states’ GDP growth, from 2004 to 2009, by close to 1 percent.

Comment

Merike Taal, a freelance journalist in London

For the common man, as well as an Eastern European, the statements by Prime Minister David Cameron are the typical overreaction characteristic of politicians.

Over my four and a half years while being here, I have sensed the seriousness of leaving homeland behind. Be it even the UK and London, deemed a dreamland by many... The more so for those who come «raw» i.e. without a sure job and home, planning to live on allowances. Firstly, I hear these allowances aren’t that large; secondly, to apply for these one has to navigate loads of red tape.

Let me be as bold as to assume that, in reality, the part of immigrants which succeed in securing a foothold here are the vital and vibrant kind, such as will rather benefit the UK economy.

Over here, the Eastern Europeans’ work ethics have come to be a kind of a legend. From many an employer I have heard that they would prefer the East-European worker – poor at language skills, yet reliable.