EU justice commissioner says UK politicians should stop blaming economic problems on too many migrants

Viviane Reding, the EU Commissioner for Justice, Citizenship and Fundamental Right and the vice-president of the European Commission, has called on UK politicians to stop blaming economic problems on "too many foreigners".

Reding was speaking at the University of Cambridge's Faculty of Law yesterday on the topic of whether the UK and the EU were inevitably drifting apart. You can read her full speech here.

Reding said: "I understand that in economically difficult times, people are worried about jobs, about opportunities for their children, about their ability to access public services. That is why all of us, but particularly politicians and businesspeople in this country need to reassure people. They have a right to know the facts – for instance that 77% of those EU citizens coming to the UK are in employment, a higher share than nationals, and a much higher share than third country migrants. They also deserve to hear that the UK hurts itself by making it more difficult for bright young people to come here to study and work, and by hampering the many employers who are looking to fill vacancies but cannot find suitable employees within the British workforce."

She continued: "Politicians also need to work on the quality of education and welfare, so that people in this country can find employment and enjoy reasonable social standards. Simply trying to project all problems on the supposed issue of too many foreigners moving into the country is certainly not the answer."

"It is not EU policies that are causing problems in this area. But somehow this misconception prevails, and there is a sense that all difficulties could be solved if the UK could get out of them, that it needs to free itself of supposedly 'alien', harmful rules and principles that are imposed on it."