More Britons Claim Welfare in EU Countries Than Their EU Counterparts in UK

For some EU countries, the number of Britons on benefit is three times greater than the number of citizens from these countries getting paid by the UK. This pattern runs contrary to the British government's stance claiming that migrants come to the UK to obtain better welfare benefits.

MOSCOW, January 19 (Sputnik) – At least 30,000 British nationals are currently receiving unemployment benefits in wealthier European Union countries, claiming higher sums than EU nationals coming to the UK, a research by the Guardian revealed Monday.

According to the study, based on responses from 23 out of 27 EU states, the number of Britons receiving unemployment benefits in Germany is four times higher than the number of Germans who are on welfare in the UK. For Ireland, the ratio of British nationals receiving payments stands at five to one compared to their Irish counterparts in the UK.

For some countries, including Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria and France, the number of Britons on benefit is three times greater than the number of citizens from these countries getting paid by the UK.

The Guardian states that this pattern runs contrary to the British government's stance claiming that migrants come to the UK to obtain better welfare benefits.

In November 2014, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Rachel Reeves said that the UK social security system “was never designed for the levels of migration we are now seeing”.

During a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron in January German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed support for Cameron’s plans to curb social benefits for EU migrants entering the UK, saying it was necessary to address “the abuses” of the UK social benefit system.