Restrictions on access to Britain by citizens from EU accession states will force restrictions here, Fine Gael's spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Mr Gay Mitchell, said today.
Immigration is a good thing for Ireland. We need workers . . . and those workers one day will return home and boost their own economies much like the Irish have done.
Fine Gael's spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Mr Gay MitchellBritain indicated yesterday it would examine its position on allowing citizens from accession states unrestricted access to its social welfare system. Ireland is now the only EU country that allows full employment and social welfare access to accession citizens whose countries are joining the bloc on May 1st.
Mr Mitchell said Ireland now needs to have a "proactive" immigration policy and if Britain is to have restrictions then Ireland would need to have similar restrictions because of the common travel arrangements between the two countries.
"A British change on immigration policy will force a change here," said Mr Mitchell.
"Immigration is a good thing for Ireland. We need workers . . . and those workers one day will return home and boost their own economies much like the Irish have done," he added. Fine Gael "prefers the original [non-restrictive] stance" that was first adopted by both countries, Mr Mitchell said.
Labour's finance spokesperson Ms Joan Burton agreed with Mr Mitchell that would not be a flood of people coming to Ireland from EU accession states. She said people from the accession states would be coming here to work and would not be relying on social welfare.
Last night a Government spokesman did not rule out the introduction of restrictions on welfare access here should the system become overburdened.
However, so far the Government has taken the view that unrestricted access of eastern Europeans seeking work will be beneficial to the economy.
Britain's rethink comes a week after the Polish Prime Minister, Mr Leszek Miller, thanked the Taoiseach for opening the Irish labour market to his citizens. Mrost EU governments have indicated they will maintain restrictions on immigration from the new members for at least two years.