British Expatriate Network

Do you think that the EU is turning its back on some of the original founding idea's i.e. the free movement EU citizens and goods within its borders???

I ask his because, over the last couple of years it has continued to expand to additional countries and now a number of countries are imposing limites as to the numbers and type of individuals from member states that they will allow to settle in their country. We have also seen, unfortunately an increasing number of extreme self protectionist groups springing up.

There has not been a lot of talk about the constitution either, has this died a death as well??


Will this mark a return to self protectionism and the eventually pulling apart of the EU?

Just wonder what everyones take is on the situation

I think it's grown too fast. I am pro-EU, I used it for a couple of years to learn fluent German and get a different experience on life. But now with so many poorer countries joining at once, it will be thrown off balance for a while.

I think the EU needs to help the poorer countries help themselves, rather than everyone just upping and leaving to the richer countries to find work that everyone took the last time it expanded.

It seems that many countries are complaining of the amount of immigrants incoming.
I would be interested to know the numbers on people in and out of the individual countries.

Does Britain for instance get more immigrants entering than they have people leaving, which of course makes them immigrants to other countries but for some odd reason they don't see themselves in the same light.

I don't think allowing poorer countries into the system will make it any better.

The difference is, when a person from a rich country goes to live and work in a poor country, they are going there for the fun of it or some higher purpose.

When a person from a poor country goes to work in a rich country he brings all his mates with him, and they are there to earn as much money as possible to send home.

Of course the money they send home can help the economy there and balance things out, but when 10 former Eastern Bloc countries enter the EU on the same day, it is obvious things will go off balance for a while.