Policymakers should move away from ambiguous concepts such as ‘benefit tourism’ and focus on actual numbers

British politicians have voiced concerns over ‘benefit tourism’ from EU migrants, but how many people actually fall under this category? Yvonni Markaki and Carlos Vargas-Silva assess the number of recent EU migrants in the UK of working age who are not students, not in employment, and receive some kind of state benefit. They estimate that there are approximately 39,000 people who currently meet this criteria, which amounts to around one per cent of all EU nationals in the UK.

ESO: Background information: Economically inactive EU citizens who go to another Member State solely in order to obtain social assistance may be excluded from certain social benefits http://www.europeansources.info/record/economically-inactive-eu-citizens-who-go-to-another-member-state-solely-in-order-to-obtain-social-assistance-may-be-excluded-from-certain-social-benefits/

ESO: Background information: British politicians are clearly misreading EU provisions regarding freedom of movement http://www.europeansources.info/record/british-politicians-are-clearly-misreading-eu-provisions-regarding-freedom-of-movement/

ESO: Background information: David Cameron promises 'one last go' at EU migration curbs http://www.europeansources.info/record/david-cameron-promises-one-last-go-at-eu-migration-curbs/

---