European court backs UK over child benefit limits
Britain can use strict “right to reside” rules to limit access to child benefit for non-UK citizens, according to a verdict from the EU’s highest court.
The case was brought by the European Commission, which argued that the UK discriminated against other EU citizens by demanding that all recipients of child benefit have a “right to reside” in the UK.
Although the European Court of Justice said that the policy did amount to “unequal treatment” between UK and other EU citizens, this was justified by the “the need to protect the finances of the host Member State”, according to statement from the court.