IRELAND: Moves by the Government to restrict access to social welfare by citizens from EU accession states have been supported by the Immigration Control Platform.
"We would feel that it would be irresponsible of our Government to allow a gap to open up between ourselves and Britain in relation to access to the labour market or to social welfare, which would make us a special target," an ICP spokeswoman, Ms Aine Ni Chónaill, told The Irish Times.
"At the time of the second Nice referendum we said it was inadvisable that we should be one of the few countries not putting some time restrictions in place.
"It is not easy to predict the immigration levels which are likely, but in the case of some countries it could be quite significant. Sticking with the work-permit system would keep it to some degree related to genuine labour needs.
"It is also likely that there could be a large Roma influx, which could burden the social welfare system," Ms Ni Chónaill said.
Diplomatic sources from among the EU accession states are watching anxiously to see what proposals for social welfare restrictions on their citizens will be brought to Cabinet by the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Ms Coughlan, possibly next Tuesday.
Unlike others, Ireland has chosen not to take advantage of the derogation of up to seven years from granting the right of free movement to citizens of the incoming member-states.
However, now that the UK is introducing certain social welfare restrictions, Ireland is following suit, and there is great interest among the accession states in the detail of Ms Coughlan's proposals.
A leading Irish critic of the EU, Mr Anthony Coughlan, has claimed that opponents of the Nice Treaty were "cynically misrepresented" and accused of stirring up racism and anti-immigrant sentiment during the two referendums because they highlighted potential problems if some countries imposed restrictions on the new member-states and Ireland did not.
Mr Coughlan said that his own organisation, the National Platform, and the No to Nice Campaign had simply pointed out that "the Government's policy of extending Irish citizens' rights of work, domicile and social maintenance to east European migrants when all other EU states were not doing so, was manifestly foolish and would cause Ireland problems and embarrassment in time, as now looks like happening".
The proposed restrictions have been described as "deplorable" by the Green MEP for Dublin, Ms Patricia McKenna.
She said the latest moves proved the contention by anti-Nice campaigners that the applicant countries would be treated like second-class members.