The Polish finance minister has warned the Government about seeking changes to EU rules on the payment of child benefit to parents living in Ireland who claim for non-resident children, writes Paul Cullen.
Jan Vincent-Rostowski said in Dublin yesterday he would be concerned about any change to the rules which would affect Polish citizens. Phasing out payments to a child living in Poland could result in parents deciding to move the child to Ireland, so the overall costs involved could go up rather than down.
After a meeting with Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, Mr Rostowski expressed concern about the plight of some Polish immigrants who were suffering along with Irish people as a result of the economic crisis and he reminded Mr Noonan that “solidarity is a two-way street”.