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Brussels, 02.06.2004 Brok: "European Mass Migration Unlikely" Warnings that a collapse of social security systems may be imminent are "scare-mongering", says EUCDW President
"This warning is exaggerated and only serves to fan unjustified fears. The legal situation remains unchanged. If those fears were right, we would have already experienced a massive rush of immigrants from Portugal, Greece and Ireland in the wake of previous EU enlargements. This, however, was not the case. On the contrary, the number of immigrants from these countries has actually declined, also because of the success of the European unification process. The facts therefore fail to support such scare-mongering." The free movement of persons, Brok asserts, remained one of the key features of a unified Europe, while it was equally true that each resident had a right that a certain minimum standards of living was guaranteed. Brok, however, pointed out that each application for social security payments would have to be judged on its own merits. Existing rules prevented tourism concerning social benefits and medical treatment. Legal and administrative precedents of the past few years had already borne this out. Brok continued: "Scare-mongering and the dissemination of incorrect and distorted facts in order to stir up people's emotions are completely inappropriate when seen in the context of the grand project of European unity. It is true that current regulations must be strictly implemented. The expectation, however, that the final act in the dismantling of the ‚Iron Curtain' will lead to a European migration on a large scale is far-fetched and unlikely in the extreme."
The
European Union of Christian Democratic Workers (EUCDW) consists of 23
workers' organisations from 15 countries and is an association of the
European People's Party (EPP).
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