In Germany: 'Fingerprints for foreigners' sparks outcry

'Fingerprints for foreigners' sparks outcry

The debate over Bulgarian and Romanian immigrants arriving in Germany reached a more sinister level on Friday, when one leading Conservative politician called for finger prints to be taken to stop eastern Europeans getting benefits.

Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, Elmar Brok, told newspaper Bild: “Immigrants who only come to Germany for Hartv IV (unemployment benefits), child benefit and health insurance must be sent back quickly to their home countries. To prevent multiple entries we should think about taking finger prints.”

Brok, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), was criticized by his own party for the comments.

Armin Laschet, a vice-chairman of the CDU, said the idea “did not fit with an open Europe.”

The arguments within Merkel’s “grand coalition” government over Bulgarians and Romanians arriving in Germany after travel restrictions were lifted on January 1st has so far been between the centre-left Social Democrats and Merkel’s Bavaria allies, the CSU, who take a tougher stance on immigration.

http://www.thelocal.de/20140103/fingerprints-for-foreigners-call-sparks-outcry