Ireland has warned David Cameron it is virtually inconceivable that he will achieve changes to the European Union rules of free movement in order to limit immigration to the UK.
Irish foreign minister Charles Flanagan said that he supported freedom of movement and cautioned the British prime minister against making threats to get what he wants.
He made the comments in a speech at Westminister, while Cameron is at the G20 summit in Australia. Ireland is considered one of the UK’s closest allies, but Flanagan echoed comments by other EU leaders which suggest that Cameron will find it tough to get what he wants on the issue.
Speaking at the European Council on Foreign Relations, Flanagan said: “To try to place any general limitations on the free movement of EU citizens within the union would, in my view, strike at a basic principle on which the union is founded,” he said.
“I cannot conceive of any way in which such limitations would find the necessary support around the table.”
Cameron has promised to clamp down on immigration in a landmark speech before Christmas, designed to head off the threat of Ukip. However, there are growing signs that he may not be able to achieve support in Europe for much more than extra controls on benefits for migrants. A court ruling relating to a Romanian claimant in Germany this week suggests much of this may already be achievable within the current rules, dealing a blow to Cameron’s chances of presenting any crackdown as a victory for his government in Europe.
Flanagan joined other members states in warning the UK: “I am a firm believer in the freedom of movement of people. I see first hand the contribution that citizens from some of the newer member states have made towards Ireland’s economic recovery in the last few years.
He added: “Ultimately, tough compromises will have to be made. But they will be made in the form of positive engagement round the table rather than in the form of unilateral disengagement, and that is where the argument needs to be focused.”
Only the day before, former Conservative prime minister John Major gave a speech in Germany (approved by Downing Street) warning Britain’s natural allies that they risk forcing the UK out of the EU unless they agree to a series of reforms, including restrictions on the free movement of people.
Speaking to members of Angela Merkel’s CDU party in Berlin, Major said he was sounding the alarm as he warned that the chances of Britain leaving the EU now stand at “just under 50%”. The German chancellor has ruled out reform of the principle of free movement of people, but Cameron is desperate for changes before a referendum on the UK’s membership to be held in 2017, if he is still in power.
