David Cameron shouldn’t let misconceptions about the EU go unchallenged
Anna Sonny, 11 December 2015
David Cameron has warned today that the migrant crisis could push Britain out of Europe as it makes voters think ‘get me out of here.’ This misleading claim implies that the wave of immigrants coming into the EU will have a direct and negative effect on Britain, as though thousands of migrants will now be arriving on our shores because of rules surrounding our EU membership. Although our membership means that EU citizens have freedom of movement rights to the UK, third-country nationals (including refugees) have to be granted EU citizenship in their host state before they can come here. This is not immediate.
Earlier this year, Nigel Farage said that all Italy, or any country in the EU had to do was give people EU passports and then they would be free to move wherever they want within the European Union. As usual with Farage, there is some truth in this statement but it is stretched to the point of hyperbole.
What he makes sound like a free giveaway of EU passports is actually a long process. EU law guarantees the right to a renewable residence permit valid for at least three years for refugees. This residence permit is not the granting of automatic EU citizenship.
Looking at Italy, since Farage used this country in his example, the period of permanent residence necessary before being able to apply for citizenship varies, but it can be reduced to a minimum of five years for displaced persons or refugees. This means those who have refugee status in other EU countries do not have an automatic passage into the UK – it could take years for them to be granted citizenship in the country they settle in, and then of course, it would depend on whether or not they even want to come to the UK. While our perception may be that everyone wants to come here, it is important to remember that estimates of people arriving into the UK after the restrictions were lifted on Romania and Bulgaria in 2014 were grossly over exaggerated.
People in Britain watching the unfolding migrant crisis on the news can be forgiven for not knowing the complex rules surrounding EU citizenship rights for refugees, but Cameron’s claim is inflated. He doesn’t challenge the misconception that the UK will be placed under unbearable pressure form the arrival of asylum seekers making their way from Europe and doesn’t mention how difficult it would be for those granted refugee status to come here. The UK has opted out of EU quotas on asylum seekers and has created its own. Cameron is merely trying to provoke EU leaders who don’t want to budge on his renegotiation demands. The threat of an unhappy British public means the threat of exit, and Cameron will happily propagate misconceptions to get what he wants in Brussels.