Labour Party MPs have called for limits on the number of immigrants arriving in the country. And the Home Office has confirmed that the possibility of introducing entry restrictions for workers from new EU member states is already being discussed in the government.
It has been officially announced that a limit may be imposed on the number of immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania, whose accession to the EU is scheduled for January 1, 2007. According to a Home Office representative, the final decision will take into account three factors: the need for labor, the experience gained during the previous EU enlargement in 2004, and the immigration policies of other EU states.
In October, all 25 EU countries must decide whether to set a 'transition period' for new members or immediately lift all migration restrictions. It is already known that Germany and France are leaning towards the first option: their governments have announced that they will not be able to fully implement the free movement of people and labor within the EU for another five years.
In 2004, Britain (along with Sweden and Ireland) became one of three EU countries that did not impose any restrictions on entry for labor from the newly joined states. Then Prime Minister Tony Blair said that the number of immigrant workers would be small anyway, and those who did come would contribute to the growth of the British economy. According to government estimates, around 13,000 immigrants were expected to arrive from the 10 countries, but according to the latest official data, there are already 350,000. Unofficially, the figure is even higher.
Last Monday, local government representatives said that the influx of migrants has caused significant difficulties at the regional level. Local authorities have to pay for school places for immigrant children and other social services. Lord Bruce-Lockhart, chairman of the Local Government Association, warned Home Secretary John Reid that some municipalities see a way out either by reducing the list of services or by raising taxes by 6 percent.
Former Labour government minister Frank Field called on the Home Secretary to close the border to labor from new EU member states if other EU countries close their free access. John Reid has already announced his intention to create an advisory body that will set limits for immigrants. Just a month ago, Tony Blair assured that such a body was unnecessary, so the Home Secretary's statement can be seen as a serious signal of a change in migration policy.
"The Home Secretary can be congratulated on having responded to the growing public concern over rising immigration," commented Frank Field. "In 2004 alone, our country welcomed one million immigrants, including more than 400,000 from Eastern Europe. At the same time, 350,000 people left these shores to settle elsewhere. At this rate, a tenth of the population of Britain will be replaced in five years of the Parliament's term."
Toby Helm.
Translation by Gzt.ru