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On December 2, a court in North Rhine-Westphalia found in favour of a Romanian family who applied for welfare benefits in Germany. In its ruling the court specifically cited the freedom of movement and of residence of EU citizens, which is guaranteed by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the Euopean Union, explains Die Welt.
Reporting on the fears of conservative political parties which are worried that “social tourism” could overstretch the financial resources of German local governments, the daily writes —
… people who lose their jobs have the right to social welfare, and that is only fair. However, the right to immigrate to our social welfare system does not exist, nor is it racist to point this out.
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Die Welt further recommends that European commissioners should “rein in their moral indignation” against countries that want to restrict access to their social welfare systems. “The application of European law is the best way to fight the populists,” the newspaper concludes.
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