Is UK right to fear wave of Roma welfare claimants from Czech Republic, other new EU states?
When the European Union enlarges on May 1 several of the EU's bigger
countries - such as France, Italy and Germany - will restrict access to
migration from the ten new member countries. One of the few countries
which will not place such restrictions is Great Britain. In recent days
there have been press reports in the UK that Tony Blair's government plans
to tighten welfare regulations before May 1, fearing an influx of Romany
welfare claimants from the Czech Republic and other former Eastern Bloc
states.
Britain's right wing press in particular has been warning of a
"flood" of Romanies from the East, with the Sunday Times
suggesting as many as 100,000 may move to the UK.
The figure of 100,000 Roma immigrants to the UK over seven years was given
to the Sunday Times by Ondrej Gina Sr., perhaps the Czech Republic's best
known Romany activist. However, that figure is challenged by many experts,
including Ivan Vesely of the Romany organisation Dzeno: he says Britain
can expect about 5,000 Roma immigrants in the next two years. As for
Britain itself, the official estimate is that around 13,000 will migrate
there from new EU states.
The Sunday Times reported that the British Home Office had asked the
International Organisation for Migration to launch an advertising campaign
in new EU states to draw attention to the difficulties of claiming
benefits in the UK. The message they want to promote is that immigrants
are free to work where they like, but claiming is a different story.
As it is getting benefits is not easy for EU citizens living in Britain;
they need to have worked for a certain period of time and pass a residence
test.
While the Czech government as such has not reacted to the British
newspaper reports, Deputy Prime Minister Petr Mares, who is responsible
for Roma affairs, has described the stories as evidence of "media
hysteria". He does concede that, as some Romany groups have said,
their could be a significant wave of migration if there is an increase in
violence against Roma in the Czech Republic.
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Britain's right wing press in particular has been warning of a
"flood" of Romanies from the East, with the Sunday Times
suggesting as many as 100,000 may move to the UK.
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