'Social tourists' from the poorest EU countries, and especially from Bulgaria and Romania, threaten to blow up the social security systems of more prosperous countries. This was warned by the interior ministers of Germany, Great Britain, Austria and the Netherlands, who in an appeal to the European Commission demanded that it immediately address this problem. In particular, they proposed changing the rules of free movement in the European Union so that national authorities could independently introduce restrictions on citizens from individual countries.
The initiator of this idea back in 2010 was the British authorities, who then came under harsh criticism from the European Commission. Now London's position has been supported by partners from Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, where 'social tourism' has taken on threatening proportions. 'Abuses in the area of free movement of citizens are observed not only in Britain, and solving this problem will require joint efforts of European countries,' said British Interior Minister Theresa May. 'We are creating an immigration system that will work in the national interest, attracting the best talents. Along with this, we will protect public services by taking measures against those who came to parasitize on the social welfare system.'
According to statistics, by the end of 2011, 147,000 citizens from Bulgaria and Romania were permanently residing in Germany. In the first half of 2012 alone, their number increased by 88,000, and according to experts, a significant number of new residents use every opportunity to receive state aid. In 2014, when all restrictions on access to the labor market in Germany for citizens of these countries will be lifted, they will be able to count on more generous support. For example, receiving benefits for minor children remaining in their home country.
German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich believes that those who seek social gain should not only be deprived of benefits but also deported, and temporary entry bans into our country should be imposed: 'We see no problem when people come to Germany to work, but we do not want them to come only for social guarantees. Therefore, we want to send people back and close their entry to Germany for one to two years. This requires regulation at the level of European law.'
Brussels, in turn, continues to deny the existence of this problem. 'None of the member states, including Great Britain, has been able to prove the existence of 'social tourism,' said Jonathan Todd, spokesperson for the European Commission on employment issues, reacting to the ministers' appeal. 'We insist that all aspects of European law concerning free movement in the labor market be respected.'