E.U. Members May Limit Welfare Benefits to Immigrants, Court Rules BERLIN - Countries in the European Union can limit access to welfare benefits for citizens from poorer countries in the 28-nation bloc, Europe's top court ruled on Tuesday. The European Court of Justice ruled that a Romanian woman who migrated to Germany was not entitled to unemployment benefits because she had made no effort to find a job. The woman had sued a German employment center in Leipzig for refusing to grant unemployment benefits for her and her son. The decision is limited in scope but is likely to be seized on by leaders in Britain and Germany seeking to tamp down populist furor fed by the belief that poorer Europeans are moving to richer countries to tap into their generous welfare systems. Soon after, Prime Minister David Cameron wrote on Twitter that he supported the ruling saying it curbed "benefit tourism" and was "simple common sense." There are no statistics to size up "welfare tourism," nor any figures that suggest this has seriously drained public coffers in European states. But in Britain, particularly, popular anger over immigration is thought to have bolstered support for the U.K. Independence Party, which is posing a right-wing challenge to Mr. Cameron and his Conservative Party in advance of elections next May. Advisers to Mr. Cameron have even floated proposals about capping the movement of immigrants from poorer European Union states to Britain. European Union officials and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany have warned against such a move, noting that it would contravene the principle of free movement, which she has said is not negotiable. At a conference of Britain's biggest business lobby on Monday, some prominent business leaders also argued strongly for free movement within the union. Under pressure from the rise of the Independence Party, Mr. Cameron has promised to lay out plans before Christmas to tackle the rise in immigration. Although Britain's welfare system is not particularly generous, it is relatively easy to win benefits because workers do not generally have to contribute for long periods before qualifying for benefits. Ms. Merkel told reporters at a Brussels summit meeting last month that Germany, too, was experiencing "very intensive discussions" over the needs of immigrants, and was thus eagerly awaiting Tuesday's ruling, involving a Romanian woman, Elisabeta Dano, and her son, Florin, who applied for a form of jobless compensation in Leipzig. According to the German news agency DPA, Ms. Dano was receiving child allowance and support benefits totaling 317 euros per month when she brought her case. The European court had already said in May that the woman was not entitled to the benefits, and Tuesday's ruling was the final word in the case. Ms. Merkel said in Brussels that she would discuss the case with Mr. Cameron and others, if necessary. The ruling provides "a little bit of legal cover" for communities throughout Germany struggling with an influx of refugees and immigrants, said Uwe Lübking, a social policy expert with the German Association of Cities and Communities, which he said represented almost all 11,500 such communities. "But it is only a small building block because it also said that we have to examine each case individually, and not all cases are as clear," Mr. Lübking added, referring to the woman in Leipzig. He emphasized that the vast majority of European Union immigrants come either for a specific job or to find work, and are "sought after here in Germany," which faces a growing labor shortage because of a demographic crisis. In addition, Mr. Lübking noted, "if you look at certain areas in Romania or Bulgaria, you can understand that they hope for a better life." Most of the popular anger at perceived "welfare tourism" has centered on Romanians and Bulgarians, who this year became eligible for full freedom of movement throughout the 28 nations of the European Union. Ms. Merkel's government had no immediate reaction to the ruling, but it was expressly welcomed by her conservative sister party in Bavaria, which has agitated against the alleged abuse of welfare systems by foreigners, as has a rising new party, the Alliance for Germany. The ruling was also welcomed by the European Commission in Brussels. The commission, the union's executive arm, "has consistently stressed that free movement is the right to free circulation," said Mina Andreeva, a commission spokeswoman. But that "is not a right to freely access the member states" social assistance systems." Timothy Kirkhope, a spokesman on justice and home affairs issues for the Conservatives in the European Parliament, affirmed that the ruling would have "wide-ranging implications for how the U.K. can tighten its welfare system to ensure only migrants that make a contribution can receive something back." "This court case and this ruling show quite clearly that the U.K. is not alone in its concerns about restoring free movement to its core principle: free movement of labor," Mr. Kirkhope said in a statement. The government will be heartened by this decision today. Britain's opposition Labour Party also welcomed the ruling and urged the government to extend the waiting time for Europeans to become eligible for benefits. "It's now time for ministers to act," said Rachel Reeves, who speaks for Labour in the British Parliament on work and pensions.