Germany Tightens Control on Immigration from EU Countries

Germany is preparing to restrict the period in which immigrants are allowed to stay in the country without a proper job.

A three-month deadline could be imposed upon a recommendation by a German government committee, Dnevnik.bg has reported.

The proposal itself is to be made Wednesday, but preliminary information reveals further measures to fight the so-called "social tourism", e.g. expulsion of people who have committed benefit frauds and barring them from entry into Germany for a certain period.

According to the draft proposal, sanctions could await companies hiring unregistered people as employees.

Aid for towns and cities most affected by immigration is also envisaged and it could amount to EUR 200 M.

Over the past months Germany has cautiously moved toward siding with the UK on some issues regarding European free movement, insisting that efforts should be stepped up to protect social systems at a European level.

Both in the UK and in Germany, fears have been on the rise that Bulgarians and Romanians, who have considerably lower living standards than Western and Cenral Europe, could flock en masse to richer countries and pose a threat to their citizens' well-being.

German government has presented statistics showing that most EU citizens of Romanian and Bulgarian origin settle down in the country after they have received a job proposal.

Populist leaders nevertheless take advantage of fears in society, helping to incrise discontent from rules of movement that are described by them as too liberal.