Plans by the Netherlands to deport jobless Poles and other Eastern Europeans are dangerous and worrying, Poland’s economic affairs minister Waldemar Pawlak is quoted as saying in Monday’s Trouw.

The paper says Pawlak made the comments during a meeting in Warsaw on Saturday. ‘We are concerned about the Dutch plans,’ Pawlak said. ‘This development is dangerous and could lead to the collapse of the European system of freedom of movement.’
Earlier this year, social affairs minister Henk Kamp presented proposals to expel Polish and other eastern European nationals who are without work and have little prospect of finding any. He also plans to withhold welfare benefits (bijstand) from people who do not speak Dutch.
Robust talks
Poland’s European affairs minister Mikolaj Dowgielewicz is quoted as saying there have been ‘robust talks’ with the Netherlands on the plan. He is quoted as saying that he is surprised a maximum of 200 people could lead to such heated political debate.
Such problems could be better solved at a European level, through community-wide agreements on social security and working conditions, he said.
Poland took over the presidency of the EU on Friday for the next six months.
In February, Poland’s ambassador to the Netherlands said Dutch attitudes to Poles bordered on discrimination.
Earlier stories
Attitude to Poles borders on discrimination: ambassador
EU warns Holland on Polish deportation plan
Deport jobless eastern Europeans who won’t go voluntarily: minister