Do the Swiss have the answer?

[woolybanana]

Can any European country do this?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22285886

[idun]

Wouldn't that mean that no one could move anywhere within the EU unless they had a job lined up???? or retired and not a burden on the new state????

Would it work? Perhaps, maybe they should try it. They tried the euro and I think that that was an even bigger act of folly than this idea. Says she who is euro dependent for all income!

[NormanH]

To which question?

[woolybanana]

Ah, Norman, spotted my little ploy as ever.[6]

I was thinking about your barrel; why not put wheels on it and get a couple of stout ponies, then you can travel all summer?

[Sprogster]

wooly, I was reading the other day that the UK, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden are backing plans to introduce restrictions on the free movement of labour within the EU. If I recall correctly, unless you have a job to go to, there will be a restriction on access to benefits and a means test for inactifs, similar to what Spain have introduced.

What has given this proposal legs is the German backing and the concern about Romania and Bulgaria having free movement within the EU from the end of the year.

With spiralling unemployment in many EU countries like Spain at 27%, you can see the shutters going up on the free movement within the EU.

[Quillan]

[quote user="Sprogster"]free movement of labour within the EU.[/quote]

Isn't that it? I always thought that there was never a problem with free movement of labour and that it was a good idea. You move labour from a country that has too many people with a particular job skill to another than needs them. Movement from one country to another because the 'social benefit payments' are better is not allowed if you are not working. You had to work and pay money into the system before claiming anything from the system. When we had all that trouble a few years back about healthcare in France for 'inactives' we were only interested in the healthcare side but wasn't it also social benefits etc as well? Something about not being a drain on the healthcare and social system of the country?

[Rabbie]

I have no problem with the free movement of labour. I do have a problem with the free movement of benefit seekers. Benefits should IMO be confined to citizens of a country and to those non-citizens who contributed to the benefit system for a minimum qualifying period.

[NormanH]

That makes a lot of sense. I know of a couple of English layabouts here who have gone back to the UK because France wouldn't pay them the RSA, and I see no reason why they should have had it as they have never contributed anything to France.

They were  of the ilk who claim to have 'opted-out' of the system ( in one case living in a van which was illegally parked) but who expected the health system which others were paying into to care for them free of charge when they fell over drunk or had an accident.