British Prime Minister David Cameron has proposed that ministers draw up a list of benefits that could be cut for EU migrants. This includes not only unemployment benefits or housing assistance, but also access to free healthcare. Citing anonymous government sources, the British press writes that the coalition – the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats – are trying to ensure that people are not abandoned at death's door, but denied help that could theoretically be provided in their home country.
Child benefits are also set to be seriously reviewed. According to the latest statistics, children of foreigners cost the budget £36 million, with two-thirds going to Poles. However, Britain is currently most fearful of an influx from Bulgaria and Romania – entry for them will be opened in January 2014. To figure out how and what to cut best, the government plans to study the experience of France, which reduced social benefits for foreigners by 83%.
British politicians point out that more than 600,000 migrants from Eastern Europe, many of them Russian-speaking, already work in Britain, and in a year no economy will be able to support so many new unemployed. They will not only enjoy the benefits of the British budget but also 'steal' jobs from Britons, warns the conservative press.
'We still have much to do to ensure that while we welcome new people, we do not allow them to take advantage of us. That happens too often now,' Cameron said in a campaign speech in the small town of Eastleigh.
In parliament, the prime minister warned deputies that the government would go through all systems – housing benefits, healthcare, unemployment benefits, free legal aid: 'We must make sure we are not an easy target for those who want to come here.' However, Cameron clarified that Britain still welcomes talented foreign students and professionals.
Currently, benefits such as unemployment or rent assistance can generally only be obtained after working and paying taxes for at least a year. Legislation varies, but virtually no immigrant can count on such state help immediately after arrival.
Thus, by cutting the former, Britain places taxpayers of different nationalities in different positions, even though the tax rate is the same for them. This will affect not only Romanians, Poles, or Balts, who provoke increased irritation from the native population, but also citizens of countries with which Britain is far less eager to spoil relations, such as Germany and France. Passing a law only about 'Eastern Europeans' would be very problematic.
Healthcare is free for anyone with a social insurance number, which is easy to obtain upon arrival in the country. Employment is not required, and checking it every time a patient visits a doctor would require additional costs.
Thus, the government will likely only be able to limit the issuance of new social insurance numbers – reviewing the validity of existing ones could take several years, during which people may find and lose jobs many times. Nevertheless, such news of a new attack on Eastern European migrants is offensive. Attacks on immigrants parasitizing the British budget cast a shadow even on law-abiding taxpayers.
'It’s not yet clear how the bad immigrants will be separated from the good – that would require a huge resource. But as a professional who has been paying taxes in Britain for four years, it was humanly unpleasant. The healthcare issue is very worrying – private medicine here can bankrupt you,' says 28-year-old Alexander, a former Riga resident working in a logistics company.
However, Britain is also taking other steps to keep some Europeans at home. The government is discussing the possibility of launching an anti-campaign in Romania and Bulgaria, which have almost 30 million potential migrants, painting the image of Albion as negatively as possible in the eyes of southerners. The main goal is to make them understand that 'the streets are not paved with gold,' as one cabinet member put it.
Arguments that could be used include the mundane rain and constant floods, as well as high unemployment and a falling economy. Britain indeed has problems with the latter. According to the latest statistics, retail trade figures fell instead of the expected slight growth: due to unusually low temperatures (the British press called +2 degrees Celsius 'arctic'), people were reluctant to go shopping. Thus, even desperate optimists do not doubt the imminent onset of a triple-dip recession.