Tories to limit EU migration but yield policing powers
Jonathan Lindsell, 8 July 2014
The Conservatives are discussing a new model for Europe, demanding a ‘wealth test’ on EU migration.The cap would apply to current and future EU members (i.e. Portugal, Ireland, Romania plus Albania/Kosovo) and would be a pillar of Britain’s renegotiated EU. It could apply to individuals, or to a state’s mean wage compared to Britain’s. It’s rumoured to have Cabinet backing and Tory grandee support, but isn’t yet party policy. The plan describes an ‘outer ring’ including Britain, Sweden and Denmark enjoying exemption from Euro integration, business red tape, human rights law, and state benefits obligations.
A senior Government source told The Daily Telegraph: “We would continue to allow freedom of movement but we want restrictions… a limit on the numbers we take from countries with different GDPs. For Romania, for example, we would take Romanians, but we would have a cap on the number… We want to be in a position where we trade with the European Union and cooperate on the issues we choose to cooperate on.”
Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta told The Times (£) that free movement “was one of the main [EU membership] reasons for all the former communist countries. If the UK lets European opinion…understand that the UK has become an anti-foreigners country, anti-European, anti-everything, that is going to damage the [country’s] reputation.”
Ponta added that, asides ‘ridiculous’ hysteria over Romanian migration numbers, he backed the curtailing of benefits tourism. Could Romania be an ally in EU reform, provided Cameron doesn’t threaten legitimate skilled workers?
“The British reputation in Europe is going to be affected if the way that the UK is dealing with the immigration issue is not done properly… Most of the Romanians who came [to Britain] are very well-trained, high-skilled persons, well-educated.”
Contrary to these arm’s-length plans, The Times (£) reports that Britain is considering joining a controversial EU-wide criminal DNA database. There are concerns that DNA information could be lost, leaked or misused – Security Minister James Brokenshire admits to “very real problems with the technical and administrative” details of DNA sharing. Open Europe’s Stephen Booth worries that Cameron is “needlessly committing himself to further transfers of power to the EU in a hugely sensitive area.”
Last year Britain used its block ‘opt out’ from 133 EU police and criminal justice measures, but Theresa May announced her intention to ‘opt back in’ to 35 of them. This could be tricky, as the Spanish could threaten to block progress in exchange for Gibraltar concessions. The government won’t finalise their decision until 1 December 2015, after the General Election, so this is very much David Luiz, tin can, long road.
This all comes in the context of a rumoured reshuffle next Monday. Pro-European Ken Clarke is resigned to resign, and the defence and welfare secretaries may swap positions. With Andrew Lansley still under a cloud for his clumsy NHS handling, it remains unclear who’ll be Britain’s next EU Commissioner.
Civitas study on EU policing and criminal justice laws, and the UK’s opt out.
Background on Coalition manoeuvring behind the EU opt outs.