Europe marches ahead - Decency and rationale of EU made real

It is more than a little reassuring that as the centenary of one of Europe’s greatest tragedies moves ever closer — the outbreak of the First World War in Jul 1914 — that two relatively minor events confirmed the European project still has significant momentum and retains the capacity to change millions of lives for the better.

Romanian and Bulgarian citizens yesterday got the right to work freely across the EU, seven years after joining the community. Nine countries ended restrictions — Austria, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, and Spain — becoming the latest to do so.

Because Romania and Bulgaria are two of Europe’s poorest countries, fears of mass migration have been expressed — Germany expects an influx of around 180,000 people looking for work. Unfortunately, these fears have been occasionally voiced in thinly veiled racist terms and fanned for the very worst kind of political gain. It is to the credit of the great majority of EU citizens that the development is seen as a pragmatic expression of the objectives of the European project and an opportunity for tens of thousands to escape the dehumanising grind of almost permanent poverty.