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| Dispute Over Immigration Widens Between Britain and E.U. | Dispute Over Immigration Widens Between Britain and E.U. |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| LONDON — A rancorous dispute between Britain and the European Union threatened to intensify on Wednesday after Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to rewrite the rules governing immigrants’ access to state benefits ahead of a possible influx of Romanians and Bulgarians under longstanding European protocols. | LONDON — A rancorous dispute between Britain and the European Union threatened to intensify on Wednesday after Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to rewrite the rules governing immigrants’ access to state benefits ahead of a possible influx of Romanians and Bulgarians under longstanding European protocols. |
| Mr. Cameron also said he would seek changes to one of the fundamental principles of the 28-nation bloc — the free movement of people across its internal frontiers — as part of efforts to negotiate what he called a “new settlement” with Europe. Mr. Cameron has pledged to put Britain’s membership in the European Union to a referendum if he wins the next election in 2015. | Mr. Cameron also said he would seek changes to one of the fundamental principles of the 28-nation bloc — the free movement of people across its internal frontiers — as part of efforts to negotiate what he called a “new settlement” with Europe. Mr. Cameron has pledged to put Britain’s membership in the European Union to a referendum if he wins the next election in 2015. |
| His remarks, seemingly meant to counter right-wing challenges at home and complaints within his own party ranks, drew a sharp riposte from a senior official in Brussels, who accused Britain of “hysteria” and of unilateral actions and rhetoric that risked “presenting the U.K. as the kind of nasty country in the European Union.” | His remarks, seemingly meant to counter right-wing challenges at home and complaints within his own party ranks, drew a sharp riposte from a senior official in Brussels, who accused Britain of “hysteria” and of unilateral actions and rhetoric that risked “presenting the U.K. as the kind of nasty country in the European Union.” |
| The language had particular resonance here as foes of Mr. Cameron’s Conservative Party sometimes label it the “nasty” party. | The language had particular resonance here as foes of Mr. Cameron’s Conservative Party sometimes label it the “nasty” party. |
| “This is an unfortunate overreaction,” Laszlo Andor, the European Union’s employment commissioner, told the BBC. “We have been in dialogue with the British authorities in recent years. We always encouraged a fact-based debate about the current movement of workers and the implications and it seems it is not happening now.” | “This is an unfortunate overreaction,” Laszlo Andor, the European Union’s employment commissioner, told the BBC. “We have been in dialogue with the British authorities in recent years. We always encouraged a fact-based debate about the current movement of workers and the implications and it seems it is not happening now.” |
| “The British public has not been given all the truth and the full truth about this subject. So we would need a more accurate presentation of the reality, not under pressure, not under such hysteria, which sometimes happens in the U.K.,” he said. | “The British public has not been given all the truth and the full truth about this subject. So we would need a more accurate presentation of the reality, not under pressure, not under such hysteria, which sometimes happens in the U.K.,” he said. |
| “The unilateral action, unilateral rhetoric, especially if it is happening at this time, is not really helpful because it risks presenting the U.K. as the kind of nasty country in the European Union. We don’t want that. We have to look into the situation collectively and if there are real problems react proportionately,” Mr. Andor said. | “The unilateral action, unilateral rhetoric, especially if it is happening at this time, is not really helpful because it risks presenting the U.K. as the kind of nasty country in the European Union. We don’t want that. We have to look into the situation collectively and if there are real problems react proportionately,” Mr. Andor said. |
| In January, transitional limits on the cross-border movements of Bulgarians and Romanians are scheduled to end, permitting citizens of those countries access to Britain to seek work — a prospect that has alarmed many Britons who fear the cost of what is sometimes called “benefit tourism” by nationals of other European countries. | In January, transitional limits on the cross-border movements of Bulgarians and Romanians are scheduled to end, permitting citizens of those countries access to Britain to seek work — a prospect that has alarmed many Britons who fear the cost of what is sometimes called “benefit tourism” by nationals of other European countries. |
| In an article in The Financial Times, Mr. Cameron said he would seek legislation to prevent new immigrants from drawing unemployment benefits for three months after their arrival and to limit their eligibility for such benefits to a period of six months thereafter. Mr. Cameron’s pledge reflected demands within his Conservative Party — the dominant partner of the governing coalition — to extend limits on Bulgarian and Romanian immigration until 2018. | In an article in The Financial Times, Mr. Cameron said he would seek legislation to prevent new immigrants from drawing unemployment benefits for three months after their arrival and to limit their eligibility for such benefits to a period of six months thereafter. Mr. Cameron’s pledge reflected demands within his Conservative Party — the dominant partner of the governing coalition — to extend limits on Bulgarian and Romanian immigration until 2018. |
| His suggestions also reflected the pull of the smaller, right-wing United Kingdom Independence Party, which has drawn support away from the Conservatives by seeking far stronger controls on immigration — an issue that has been contentious here since an influx of Polish workers after their country joined the European Union in 2004. | His suggestions also reflected the pull of the smaller, right-wing United Kingdom Independence Party, which has drawn support away from the Conservatives by seeking far stronger controls on immigration — an issue that has been contentious here since an influx of Polish workers after their country joined the European Union in 2004. |
| Mr. Cameron’s remarks seemed likely to create new strains with the European Union if the measures he proposes are viewed as discriminatory. | |
| Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 but the access of their citizens to jobs and residence in some other countries was limited by a three-stage restriction that is to expire on Dec. 31. | Romania and Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 but the access of their citizens to jobs and residence in some other countries was limited by a three-stage restriction that is to expire on Dec. 31. |
| “We are changing the rules so that no one can come to this country and expect to get out-of-work benefits immediately; we will not pay them for the first three months,” Mr. Cameron said in the article in The Financial Times. | “We are changing the rules so that no one can come to this country and expect to get out-of-work benefits immediately; we will not pay them for the first three months,” Mr. Cameron said in the article in The Financial Times. |
| “If after three months an E.U. national needs benefits — we will no longer pay these indefinitely. They will only be able to claim for a maximum of six months unless they can prove they have a genuine prospect of employment. We are also toughening up the test which migrants who want to claim benefits must undergo,” he said. | “If after three months an E.U. national needs benefits — we will no longer pay these indefinitely. They will only be able to claim for a maximum of six months unless they can prove they have a genuine prospect of employment. We are also toughening up the test which migrants who want to claim benefits must undergo,” he said. |
| He also said that new immigrants would not be able to claim help from the state for housing and that homeless immigrants would be deported. | He also said that new immigrants would not be able to claim help from the state for housing and that homeless immigrants would be deported. |
| “They will then be barred from re-entry for 12 months, unless they can prove they have a proper reason to be here, such as a job,” he said. He added that employers who pay less than the minimum wage could be fined the equivalent of up to $32,000. | “They will then be barred from re-entry for 12 months, unless they can prove they have a proper reason to be here, such as a job,” he said. He added that employers who pay less than the minimum wage could be fined the equivalent of up to $32,000. |
| While the free movement of goods and people is one of the cornerstones of the European Union, Mr. Cameron said: “We need to face the fact that free movement has become a trigger for vast population movements caused by huge disparities in income. That is extracting talent out of countries that need to retain their best people and placing pressure on communities.” | While the free movement of goods and people is one of the cornerstones of the European Union, Mr. Cameron said: “We need to face the fact that free movement has become a trigger for vast population movements caused by huge disparities in income. That is extracting talent out of countries that need to retain their best people and placing pressure on communities.” |
| “It is time for a new settlement which recognizes that free movement is a central principle of the E.U., but it cannot be a completely unqualified one,” he said, citing concerns in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands about the impact of immigrant labor within the European Union. | “It is time for a new settlement which recognizes that free movement is a central principle of the E.U., but it cannot be a completely unqualified one,” he said, citing concerns in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands about the impact of immigrant labor within the European Union. |
| Mr. Cameron’s suggestions won support from the other party in the coalition, the Liberal Democrats, whose leader, Nick Clegg, called them “sensible and reasonable reforms to ensure that the right to work does not automatically mean the right to claim” benefits. But Nigel Farage, the leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party, called them absurd, and the opposition Labour Party described them as a sign that Mr. Cameron’s party was “flailing around” in search of a coherent policy. | Mr. Cameron’s suggestions won support from the other party in the coalition, the Liberal Democrats, whose leader, Nick Clegg, called them “sensible and reasonable reforms to ensure that the right to work does not automatically mean the right to claim” benefits. But Nigel Farage, the leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party, called them absurd, and the opposition Labour Party described them as a sign that Mr. Cameron’s party was “flailing around” in search of a coherent policy. |