How can ‘benefits tourism’ be prevented?

12.12.2013

Question for written answer E-014045-13
to the Commission
Rule 117
Thomas Mann (PPE)

According to a judgment handed down by the Higher Social Court of North Rhine-Westphalia, economically inactive EU citizens from Romania are entitled to long-term, lower-level unemployment benefits (Hartz IV) in the Federal Republic of Germany. The Higher Social Court of Lower Saxony-Bremen ruled a few days later that no such entitlement existed.

I should therefore like to ask the following questions:

How does the Commission propose to limit ‘benefits tourism’ and poverty-driven immigration from poorer regions of the EU to Germany?

Does the Commission agree that EU legislation takes no account of poverty-driven immigration by EU citizens, and fails to regulate its consequences?

Are provisions of German social legislation which stipulate that EU citizens will not be entitled to Hartz IV if they come to Germany with the sole purpose of looking for work compatible with the EU Treaties?

How does the Commission view the fact that a large number of EU Member States have once again said that Romania and Bulgaria should not be allowed to join the Schengen area?

OJ C 268, 14/08/2014