Brussels, 07/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Friday, Commissioner Cecilia Malmström gave a blunt refusal to four member states - Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom - which, end April, had requested in a letter to the Commission that the rules of free movement should be reviewed in order to prevent the alleged abused of social benefits that those countries say they suffer.
The Commission does not intend to amend the fundamental right of free movement, said Malmström on her Twitter account - something that she later said publicly at a press conference. On 24 May, she, and her colleagues Viviane Reding and Laszlo Andor, wrote to the above four member states to inform them that the rules of the current 2004 directive on the free movement of European nationals already provides tools for addressing possible cases of abuse and that it was, for example, up to those same member states to verify whether those claiming benefits are in fact entitled to them. The directive also provides for expulsion from national territory in certain cases.
Friday midday, the home ministers devoted their working lunch to the problem highlighted by Berlin, The Hague, London and Vienna. It was agreed, as Malmström and Alan Shatter of Ireland explained, that more evidence and more statistical information should be provided by the four countries in question to uphold their claim so that the matter can be examined. Malmström said they could see no reason for amending the directive but that it was necessary to clarify application of the existing rules, on that they did agree. The Irish minister also expressed caution regarding the four countries' request, warning against a debate that could fuel xenophobic reflexes. The current European rules, whether those of the 2004 directive or under other instruments, can, moreover, address abuse, said Shatter, who also believes it is important for the debate to be based on facts and not allegations of abuse. France, for its part, wished to give moderate support to its four partners, with the French minister saying one should not ignore the problem but that this should be treated directly with the countries of origin, for example - in this case Romania, as the letter from the four countries mainly targets the Roma population. Nonetheless, France said the rules on free movement are not the root of the trouble. An expert-level delegation should be convened to examine the problem raised by the four countries more closely, the commissioner said, in order to try to gather more information on the abuse to which they say they have fallen victim. (SP/transl.jl)