Law and reality

The European Court of Justice recently ruled that citizens of non-EU countries who are married to EU citizens are entitled to move about unhindered within the EU and take up residence wherever they wish. In Denmark this ruling is regarded as a blow to the country's restrictive immigration policy, which aims to prevent family members from non-EU countries from joining their relatives in the EU. The daily Kristeligt Dagblad criticises the decision: "As good and correct as the idea of free movement of workers within Europe may be, it is unrealistic in many respects. When it was first conceived there was no awareness of globalisation or of ... the process of immigration. ... The result is a fundamental conflict between the good intentions of EU legislation and the social reality of the nation states. If the rules for free movement of workers are used to boost immigration to Europe, the European social model will collapse. In particular the Scandinavian welfare state model which guarantees all citizens the same rights to social benefits will not be able to cope with mass immigration."

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