As Prime Minister David Cameron hunts for a deal on restricting benefits for EU migrants, eastern Europeans in Britain say they are weary of stereotypes casting them as workshy.
With net migration to Britain at record levels, Cameron wants to limit in-work benefits for new arrivals for four years as part of negotiations before a referendum on leaving the bloc due before the end of 2017.
Other EU leaders have voiced concern over his proposal, seeing it as discriminatory, but at a Brussels summit Thursday, all sides agreed to work for a compromise before the next talks in February.
Cameron's plan is seen as particularly targeted at migrants from eastern European countries like Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, thousands of whose citizens have moved to Britain in recent years.
But many of them doubt Cameron's proposal would have much effect on migration levels, while others voice frustration at being scapegoated as "benefit tourists".
"Most people are here to work and to contribute," Romanian technology entrepreneur Horia Cernusca told AFP from his London office, lamenting that they were all assumed to be "moochers".
He blamed Britain's newspapers and politicians for perpetuating the stereotype, but said he had experienced "no blowback" from the general public.
"It's a very helpful, convenient topic to bring up to win elections, just like the refugees," said Cernusca, who is also the co-founder of a website showcasing succesful eastern Europeans.
Cameron's plan "would not intimidate anybody from coming," he predicted, a view echoed by MigrationWatch UK, a pressure group concerned by mass immigration.
"Even if you stop access to in-work benefits, people are coming here to work and there's still that economic incentive," said Matt Pollard, the group's executive director.
"The government hasn't offered any quantifiable impacts and we are very sceptical it will have a big impact on numbers."
- 'Drives down wages' -
Although Britain is largely tolerant of individual migrants, the scale of net immigration -- a record high of over 300,000 last year -- means it will be a key issue in the referendum campaign, Pollard added.
"It really cuts through to the public," he said.
"There's nothing wrong with eastern European migrants, they have very high work rates and they are coming here to earn money and improve their lives," he said.
"But when you look at the scale, you have rapid population growth that leads to all sorts of problems."
A recent report by University College London found that migrants from eastern European EU member states which joined since 2004 made a net contribution of £5 billion ($7.4 billion, 6.8 billion euros) in tax over 10 years.
High-flying arrivals have also helped turn London into one of Europe's leading tech hubs.
However, the benefits and burdens of the eastern European population have not been spread evenly around Britain, said Pollard.
This may help explain why immigration is now the biggest concern of British voters, according to a recent Ipsos MORI poll.
"We have a massive housing shortage and there's a lot to be sacrificed to accommodate the population growth," he said.
"Even the Bank of England has acknowledged that wages have not risen as fast as their expectations and one of the reasons they cite is the availability of cheap labour from the EU.
"At the lower end, it does drive down wages, which tends to be ignored by people who are removed from that in their own work."
Britain's cities have grown accustomed to high levels of immigration but smaller rural towns are also having to adapt to large numbers of eastern Europeans seeking agricultural work, said Pollard.
Latest opinion polls suggest British voters are finely balanced on whether to stay in or leave the EU.
Cernusca said a "Brexit" would be a "massive, massive shame" for both Europe and Britain.
"If a lot of people come, it means it's a good place to be," he said, adding that he and other budding entrepreneurs would not continue to set up in London were Britain to exit the EU.
As Prime Minister David Cameron hunts for a deal on restricting benefits for EU migrants, eastern Europeans in Britain say they are weary of stereotypes casting them as workshy.
With net migration to Britain at record levels, Cameron wants to limit in-work benefits for new arrivals for four years as part of negotiations before a referendum on leaving the bloc due before the end of 2017.
Other EU leaders have voiced concern over his proposal, seeing it as discriminatory, but at a Brussels summit Thursday, all sides agreed to work for a compromise before the next talks in February.
Cameron’s plan is seen as particularly targeted at migrants from eastern European countries like Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, thousands of whose citizens have moved to Britain in recent years.
But many of them doubt Cameron’s proposal would have much effect on migration levels, while others voice frustration at being scapegoated as “benefit tourists”.
“Most people are here to work and to contribute,” Romanian technology entrepreneur Horia Cernusca told AFP from his London office, lamenting that they were all assumed to be “moochers”.
He blamed Britain’s newspapers and politicians for perpetuating the stereotype, but said he had experienced “no blowback” from the general public.
“It’s a very helpful, convenient topic to bring up to win elections, just like the refugees,” said Cernusca, who is also the co-founder of a website showcasing succesful eastern Europeans.
Cameron’s plan “would not intimidate anybody from coming,” he predicted, a view echoed by MigrationWatch UK, a pressure group concerned by mass immigration.
“Even if you stop access to in-work benefits, people are coming here to work and there’s still that economic incentive,” said Matt Pollard, the group’s executive director.
“The government hasn’t offered any quantifiable impacts and we are very sceptical it will have a big impact on numbers.”
– ‘Drives down wages’ –
Although Britain is largely tolerant of individual migrants, the scale of net immigration — a record high of over 300,000 last year — means it will be a key issue in the referendum campaign, Pollard added.
“It really cuts through to the public,” he said.
“There’s nothing wrong with eastern European migrants, they have very high work rates and they are coming here to earn money and improve their lives,” he said.
“But when you look at the scale, you have rapid population growth that leads to all sorts of problems.”
A recent report by University College London found that migrants from eastern European EU member states which joined since 2004 made a net contribution of £5 billion ($7.4 billion, 6.8 billion euros) in tax over 10 years.
High-flying arrivals have also helped turn London into one of Europe’s leading tech hubs.
However, the benefits and burdens of the eastern European population have not been spread evenly around Britain, said Pollard.
This may help explain why immigration is now the biggest concern of British voters, according to a recent Ipsos MORI poll.
“We have a massive housing shortage and there’s a lot to be sacrificed to accommodate the population growth,” he said.
“Even the Bank of England has acknowledged that wages have not risen as fast as their expectations and one of the reasons they cite is the availability of cheap labour from the EU.
“At the lower end, it does drive down wages, which tends to be ignored by people who are removed from that in their own work.”
Britain’s cities have grown accustomed to high levels of immigration but smaller rural towns are also having to adapt to large numbers of eastern Europeans seeking agricultural work, said Pollard.
Latest opinion polls suggest British voters are finely balanced on whether to stay in or leave the EU.
Cernusca said a “Brexit” would be a “massive, massive shame” for both Europe and Britain.
“If a lot of people come, it means it’s a good place to be,” he said, adding that he and other budding entrepreneurs would not continue to set up in London were Britain to exit the EU.
