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| Tories warned not to discriminate against Romanians and Bulgarians | Tories warned not to discriminate against Romanians and Bulgarians |
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| The Liberal Democrats are warning their Tory coalition partners against acting in a discriminatory manner as ministers draw up plans to impose welfare restrictions when Romanians and Bulgarians are given full travel rights across the EU next year. | The Liberal Democrats are warning their Tory coalition partners against acting in a discriminatory manner as ministers draw up plans to impose welfare restrictions when Romanians and Bulgarians are given full travel rights across the EU next year. |
| As MEPs from the two countries claimed they were being treated as "second-class Europeans", Lib Dems said Britain must act within EU law which says that Romanians and Bulgarians must be treated like all EU citizens from next year. | As MEPs from the two countries claimed they were being treated as "second-class Europeans", Lib Dems said Britain must act within EU law which says that Romanians and Bulgarians must be treated like all EU citizens from next year. |
| One Lib Dem said: "The issue of Romanians and Bulgarians is a red herring. There is EU law. Anything you do would have to apply to all EU member states. | One Lib Dem said: "The issue of Romanians and Bulgarians is a red herring. There is EU law. Anything you do would have to apply to all EU member states. |
| "We are up for making sure that the rules are correct. But they should not just apply to Romanians and Bulgarians. We have to look at the rules for all EU migrants." | "We are up for making sure that the rules are correct. But they should not just apply to Romanians and Bulgarians. We have to look at the rules for all EU migrants." |
| Downing Street indicated on Friday that it was minded to impose limits when the prime minister's spokeswoman said that Britain would only welcome the "brightest and the best". The spokeswoman said: "What we are, and have been, very clear about is we welcome the brightest and best to the UK and support immigration that helps the UK labour market and our economy. What we don't welcome is the problem of the abuse of free movement when it comes to the pressures it can put on the UK. We welcome the free movement if it benefits our economy. It is a general comment. If there are people that can help our economy that is very welcome." | Downing Street indicated on Friday that it was minded to impose limits when the prime minister's spokeswoman said that Britain would only welcome the "brightest and the best". The spokeswoman said: "What we are, and have been, very clear about is we welcome the brightest and best to the UK and support immigration that helps the UK labour market and our economy. What we don't welcome is the problem of the abuse of free movement when it comes to the pressures it can put on the UK. We welcome the free movement if it benefits our economy. It is a general comment. If there are people that can help our economy that is very welcome." |
| Britain's hard stance is understood to have played a role in persuading Romanian and Bulgarian MEPs to write to José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, to complain about discrimination. The MEPs wrote in the letter, which was reported by Reuters: "We believe that a wave of hostile statements since the beginning of the year aims to stigmatise these citizens as second-class Europeans who pose a threat to the social systems just because they want to exercise their basic rights to free movement and work." | Britain's hard stance is understood to have played a role in persuading Romanian and Bulgarian MEPs to write to José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, to complain about discrimination. The MEPs wrote in the letter, which was reported by Reuters: "We believe that a wave of hostile statements since the beginning of the year aims to stigmatise these citizens as second-class Europeans who pose a threat to the social systems just because they want to exercise their basic rights to free movement and work." |
| The MEPs wrote to Barroso because he is formally charged with acting as a guardian of the EU treaties. Under EU rules, Romanian and Bulgarians will be given the same rights as citizens from the EU's other 25 states to travel and work across the EU from next year. | The MEPs wrote to Barroso because he is formally charged with acting as a guardian of the EU treaties. Under EU rules, Romanian and Bulgarians will be given the same rights as citizens from the EU's other 25 states to travel and work across the EU from next year. |
| Britain fears that the lifting of "transitional controls", imposed on Romania and Bulgaria for seven years after they joined the EU in 2007, could lead to a large number of citizens from the two countries settling in Britain. The Tories were highly critical when the last government imposed no such controls when eight eastern European countries, most notably Poland, joined the EU in 2004. | Britain fears that the lifting of "transitional controls", imposed on Romania and Bulgaria for seven years after they joined the EU in 2007, could lead to a large number of citizens from the two countries settling in Britain. The Tories were highly critical when the last government imposed no such controls when eight eastern European countries, most notably Poland, joined the EU in 2004. |
| Mark Harper, the Conservative immigration minister who is chairing a cross-Whitehall committee looking at the issue, has said that restrictions could be imposed on access to the NHS and to some benefit payments. In an interview with the BBC Two Daily Politics programme on Wednesday, Harper said: "What we want to make sure is people from Bulgaria and Romania, as many already have, come here and work and contribute. What we don't want is people coming to this country who are just here to claim benefits and live off the state." | Mark Harper, the Conservative immigration minister who is chairing a cross-Whitehall committee looking at the issue, has said that restrictions could be imposed on access to the NHS and to some benefit payments. In an interview with the BBC Two Daily Politics programme on Wednesday, Harper said: "What we want to make sure is people from Bulgaria and Romania, as many already have, come here and work and contribute. What we don't want is people coming to this country who are just here to claim benefits and live off the state." |
| The minister said that the government was examining access to the NHS and to benefits. "At the moment if somebody comes here to work they can access the health service on the same basis as someone who lives here. One of the questions we are considering is: is that right? Under the European treaty rules if you come here you are not supposed to be a burden on our health system. The NHS is a national health service, not an international one. So we are just looking at the rules to see whether we have sufficient protections in place." | The minister said that the government was examining access to the NHS and to benefits. "At the moment if somebody comes here to work they can access the health service on the same basis as someone who lives here. One of the questions we are considering is: is that right? Under the European treaty rules if you come here you are not supposed to be a burden on our health system. The NHS is a national health service, not an international one. So we are just looking at the rules to see whether we have sufficient protections in place." |
| Harper said that he would examine Britain's rules on benefits to ensure they were "not the easiest". He added: "One of the things we are looking at is not just what are our rules, which are actually quite tough. It is actually looking at what are our rules compared to our European neighbours, to make sure that if someone is making a choice not just about what they are going to earn but what they are going to get from the state we want to make sure we are not the easiest country." | Harper said that he would examine Britain's rules on benefits to ensure they were "not the easiest". He added: "One of the things we are looking at is not just what are our rules, which are actually quite tough. It is actually looking at what are our rules compared to our European neighbours, to make sure that if someone is making a choice not just about what they are going to earn but what they are going to get from the state we want to make sure we are not the easiest country." |
| The minister insisted that the restrictions would be applied generally. But the Lib Dems have been alarmed that the Tories want to discriminate against Romanians and Bulgarians because newspapers that have expressed concerns at the lifting of travel restrictions have been running reports that suggest citizens from the two countries will be targeted. | The minister insisted that the restrictions would be applied generally. But the Lib Dems have been alarmed that the Tories want to discriminate against Romanians and Bulgarians because newspapers that have expressed concerns at the lifting of travel restrictions have been running reports that suggest citizens from the two countries will be targeted. |
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