EC Announces 5 Actions to Ease EU Immigration Worries

Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenships. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The European Commission has outlined five concrete actions to strengthen the right to free movement in the EU.

To address concerns in some EU Member States about the implementation of free movement rules in the bloc, the Commission has said it will seek to help national and local authorities implement the following measures:

Fight marriages of convenience, apply EU social security coordination rules, address social inclusion challenges, promote the exchange of best practices amongst local authorities and ensure the application of EU free movement rules on the ground.

"The right to free movement is a fundamental right and it goes to the heart of EU citizenship. More than two thirds of Europeans say that free movement is beneficial for their country. We have to strengthen and safeguard it," EC Vice-President Viviane Reding has said in a statement.

“The Commission recognises that there can be local problems created by a large, sudden influx of people from other EU countries into a particular geographical area. For example, they can put a strain on education, housing and infrastructure. It therefore stands ready to engage with Member States and to help municipal authorities and others use the European Social Fund to its full extent,” said Laszlo Andor, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.

January 1 2014 is the expiration date of the seven-year transition period after Bulgaria and Romania's EU accession to the bloc, in which the other EU member states could limit Bulgarians and Romanians' access to their labor markets.

No EU member state can unilaterally extend the existing labor market restrictions for Bulgarians and Romanians beyond the end of 2013.

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