EU court ruling backs curbs on 'benefit tourism

The court ruling could have significant implications for the UK debate on immigration

The European Court of Justice has said member states are within their rights to refuse to give financial help to unemployed EU citizens who move to that country just to claim benefits.

The ruling on so-called "benefit tourism", relating to a case in Germany, could set an important legal precedent for the rest of the EU.
It could allow the UK to exclude some migrants from specific benefits.
Downing Street welcomed the ruling, saying it supported the PM's position.
The government has already tightened the rules so EU migrants have to wait three months after arriving in the UK before they can claim child benefit and child tax credits.
Migrants are also barred from claiming jobseeker's allowance after three months if they are not looking for work.
The prime minister has said he wants to go further and will set out his plans in a speech before the end of the year, amid pressure from Conservative backbenchers to act.
The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said the government - which has often been at odds with the European Court of Justice in the past - was hailing the ruling as evidence the UK and Germany were on the "same page" when it came to benefit abuses and could pave the way for further restrictions in the coming months.
Freedom of movement Tuesday's ruling from the Luxembourg-based court relates to a case involving a Romanian woman and her son living in Germany who had been denied access to a non-contributory subsistence allowance from its social security system.