Brussels, 15/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has directly criticised the British Prime Minister's plans to limit the number of European immigrants coming to the United Kingdom. On Friday 12 December, he also criticised David Cameron's disparaging of Eastern Europeans.
In an interview to a number of journalists, the former Luxembourg prime minister said that he was, “completely opposed to an attitude that sought to taint all the Poles, Romanians and Bulgarians working in the European area as having a criminal mentality”. He added that, “these people work and deserve their wages”. He also pointed out that the freedom of movement should not be undermined and that the statements made by the British Prime Minister had the effect of “disparaging citizens from countries in the east of the EU”. This Christian Democrat from Luxembourg did, however, say that he wanted to be able to calmly discuss these issues with the United Kingdom.
At the end of November, Cameron unveiled a plan in which immigrants living in the United Kingdom, including European nationals, would have to work for four months in the United Kingdom, before they were be able to receive any social benefits (EUROPE 11207). European workers receiving unemployment benefit for more than six months would also have to leave the United Kingdom. On the other hand, the idea of introducing quotas on the number of workers from member states entering the country, was abandoned. (SP)