Migrants spark German coalition rift amid welfare angst

[Gerald]

Tensions have surfaced in Germany's new ruling coalition over how to handle migrants from Bulgaria and Romania.

Conservative Bavarian allies of Chancellor Angela Merkel say extra measures are needed to prevent "benefit tourism" in the EU.

But the foreign ministry, now run by the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), warned that questioning freedom of movement was "harmful to Europe".

Bulgarian and Romanian workers are now free to get jobs anywhere in the EU.

Bulgaria and Romania, the EU's poorest countries, were subject to temporary labour market restrictions when they joined the EU in 2007. Nine countries kept the barriers in place until 1 January.

There is much concern in the UK about the possible impact of new EU migrants on the welfare system. The influx of East European migrants after EU enlargement in 2004 was much bigger than UK officials had anticipated.

The rise of new countries to the EU has increased very rapidly, and can lead to problems in the domestic market in order to tackle unemployment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25575750


Note: 2 January 2014 Last updated at 11:26 GMT