EU Enlargement Cutsback Safety Nets ?

international | eu | opinion/analysis Monday February 02, 2004 23:00 by Fergus newsforthedeaf at yahoo dot com

Less Foothold for a Household

Today, Irish government cuts to supplementary welfare allowance kick in.

This will detrimentally effect the already marginalised in society, people who are unemployed, single parents..... and immigrants.

After not recieving any sensible answers from the Dept. of Social & Family Affairs, as to WHY the cuts are being introduced,
I've come to some conclusions.

For their 'sounds like office cowboys' side to the story
Phone the Dept. at (01) 704 3000 (warning - be prepared to be put on hold)

For my unexpert wild interpretations, here we go...

Sweden's E.U-turn

"We would be naive if we didn't see the risks if we were to be the only country welcoming people from East Europe to work for peanuts and giving them access to our social benefits,"
Prime Minister, Goran Persson's announcement shuts out EU accession citizens from Sweden's labour market and social security entitlements.

This is the current trend of fear lurking among EU governments, that enlargement will lead to people immigrating from the accession states, where living standards are below one quarter of the EU average.
On the current front line of the EU, Germany and Austria are dealing with the enlargement interface by imposing immigration limits until 2011.
Limits of two year freezes (renewable for three years in 2006) on immigration from the accession states are being imposed by all other existing EU member states except for Britain and Ireland.

This leaves Ireland neatly positioned to represent EU enlargement celebrations on May 1st.
The one-off big smile for the cameras is in rehearsal, a West to East audio-visual come-on.
But tickets for the party are reserved.
Ireland is set up in front of the EU autocue, with the license to broadcast warm welcomes of integration all on the behalf of a Europe most of which remains firmly shut.

But the Irish government also seems to have adopted less overt methods to discourage what Goran Persson foresees as "a situation where very many will easily obtain work permits and then, have access to the entire social security safety net."

The Housing Solution
Cutback the safety nets
Cuts to rent supplement come into force today.
New rules mean that applicants must be renting from their own means for 183 days before being eligible.

Renting House Catch 22
A situation now exists where you must rent for six months before being eligible for rent supplement, however you can then be refused on the grounds that you managed to live without it for six months.
Community Welfare Officers who currently administer rent supplement have said they do not agree with the cut and that it will cause "terrible hardship".

No Foothold for a Household
The new rules of eligibility will detrimentally effect the already marginalised in society, people who are unemployed, single parents..... and immigrants.

The rules also seem to be in keeping with the attempts to change the relationship in the EU between the welfare state and labour markets.
At a recent EU Ministers social policy meeting in Galway one of the themes was 'Making Work Pay : the interaction between social protection and work'.
Former Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok made recommendations that issues such as the implementation of benefit eligibility criteria....have a significant impact on transitions to employment.
"Benefit eligibility criteria" e.g. the introduction of todays cutbacks in rent supplement.

Throw to the Sharks
For the authors of the Third Way Manifesto, the purpose is no longer to protect people from risks, but to "transform the safety net of entitlements into a springboard to personal responsibility" (Blair, Schroder, 1999)
IE you're forced to walk the plank, but higher we tell you to jump the longer you have before you land in the water.

It seems that the fear of immigration is now being used to influence governments, pushing them to adopt this manifesto.
Effecting Ireland today, I guess this fear will be 'pragmatically' phased in over the coming years to the remainder of old welfare state Europe as their current immigration limits expire.

Of course while people are restricted in moving West, capital will have no such hindrance moving East gaining access to an enlarged internal market comprising some 455 million consumers.

Theme tune for Europa

Fuck the Constitution
For Europa competitive
Incubating business
While children lose benefits.

Vote no Constitution
To campaigners for the fortress.
Instead build the enlargement
Of world wide safety nets.

Instead provide enlargement
To a world that all can live with.