Great Britain signed the EU’s basic treaties – it should uphold its duties and stop running after UKIP

Many EPP Group Members, including Group Vice-Chairmen Marian-Jean Marinescu and Manfred Weber as well as Romanian MEP Traian Ungureanu, have initiated proceedings to table an oral question to the Commission and the Council during the European Parliament's plenary session next week in Strasbourg on the situation generated by the statements of David Cameron, Prime Minister of Great Britain. Mr Cameron announced new measures to limit migration from Romania and Bulgaria, deterring citizens from those two countries from coming to the UK from next year, when limits on their employment lapse.

Vice-Chairman Marinescu stated that: "Britain signed the EU’s basic treaties. Once you sign, you have to uphold your duties. A prime minister should know this. Any European citizen who respects European and national law should enjoy the rights conferred by EU treaties, irrespective of the Member State of origin."

Vice-Chairman Manfred Weber expressed his scepticism about the statements of Mr Cameron because, “they mainly serve to excite feelings. He needs, finally, to stop running after UKIP”. “These attempts can only fail," continued Mr. Weber. "The EPP Group is open to concrete suggestions on how to resolve the problems stemming from migration from poorer Member States. However, Member States must also show why this is necessary and step forward with proposals for a possible revision. In any case, the space left to national law needs to be used to its fullest extent first. The approach taken within the coalition agreement in Germany, for example, is worth being considered."

Traian Ungureanu characterises the UK's campaign as humiliating: "First of all, it is not based on anything concrete. Romanians are working in the EU, not hunting for social benefits. This has been proven over the past seven years. Nobody in the UK would dare to talk about other ethnic groups as they do about Romanians and Bulgarians."