Post by Ivanov on Jan 17, 2008 6:23:23 GMT -5
EU Countries Encouraged to Open Labour Markets to Bulgarians
There is no reason to fear a large influx of Romanian and Bulgarian job seekers following the EU's latest enlargement just over a year ago, a study released on Tuesday (15 January) argues.
The number of Romanians and Bulgarians seeking to move to other EU countries after Bucharest and Sofia joined the EU on 1 January 2007, has not significantly increased compared to the figures prior to their EU accession, according to a report published by the non-profit Brussels-based organisation European Citizen Action Service (ECAS).
"Most emigration from Bulgaria and Romania took place well before accession and continued to involve traditional countries of destination in particular Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal," ECAS director Tony Venables said on Tuesday (15 January).
"Restrictions based on exaggerated predictions of an influx of job-seekers or a deviation of mobility to countries opening up their labour markets proved unfounded," he added.
Restrictions are "political tools"
Other member states have the possibility of restricting Bulgarian and Romanian nationals' access to their markets- rather than implementing the European Community's rules on free movement of workers - for a set period.
The same rules were also put into place for most of the countries that joined the EU in May 2004.
The restrictions can be left in place for up to seven years after which, all member states must fully open their labour markets to the newcomers.
Currently, 17 out of the 27 EU states have totally or partially restricted the access to their labour markets, fearing an influx of immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania.
Ten member states - Cyprus, the Czech Republic Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden - have lifted all limitations.
The 50-page ECAS report urges all member states to abolish the so-called transitional measures as soon as possible, saying they are contrary to "the spirit of the founding treaties".
"ECAS already urged the lifting up of the transitional measures due to their discriminatory nature and to the fact that restrictions are rather used as political tools and have little economic justification," the study reads.
Awaiting reciprocity
Bulgaria welcomed the ECAS report and fully agrees with all its conclusions and recommendations, and Sofia is "fully in favour" of abolishing the restrictions for Bulgarian and Romanian workers, Betina Joteva, spokesperson for the Bulgarian mission to the EU, told EUobserver.
"We have opened our markets for all EU workers, because that is our understanding of this fundamental right [the free movement of people]," Ms Joteva added, expressing the hope that the 17 remaining member states will do the same for Bulgarians and Romanians "as soon as possible".
The European Commission is to present a report on the labour market situation after two years of EU membership for Bulgaria and Romania.
"The experience with the 2004 enlargement has shown that positive impacts on the economies and labour markets of the member states that did not apply restrictions definitely prevailed," a commission spokesperson said.
"And it is important to note that following the 2006 report of the commission on the functioning of the first phase of the transitional arrangements of the 2004 enlargement, more member states opened their labour markets," she added.
There is no reason to fear a large influx of Romanian and Bulgarian job seekers following the EU's latest enlargement just over a year ago, a study released on Tuesday (15 January) argues.
The number of Romanians and Bulgarians seeking to move to other EU countries after Bucharest and Sofia joined the EU on 1 January 2007, has not significantly increased compared to the figures prior to their EU accession, according to a report published by the non-profit Brussels-based organisation European Citizen Action Service (ECAS).
"Most emigration from Bulgaria and Romania took place well before accession and continued to involve traditional countries of destination in particular Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal," ECAS director Tony Venables said on Tuesday (15 January).
"Restrictions based on exaggerated predictions of an influx of job-seekers or a deviation of mobility to countries opening up their labour markets proved unfounded," he added.
Restrictions are "political tools"
Other member states have the possibility of restricting Bulgarian and Romanian nationals' access to their markets- rather than implementing the European Community's rules on free movement of workers - for a set period.
The same rules were also put into place for most of the countries that joined the EU in May 2004.
The restrictions can be left in place for up to seven years after which, all member states must fully open their labour markets to the newcomers.
Currently, 17 out of the 27 EU states have totally or partially restricted the access to their labour markets, fearing an influx of immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania.
Ten member states - Cyprus, the Czech Republic Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden - have lifted all limitations.
The 50-page ECAS report urges all member states to abolish the so-called transitional measures as soon as possible, saying they are contrary to "the spirit of the founding treaties".
"ECAS already urged the lifting up of the transitional measures due to their discriminatory nature and to the fact that restrictions are rather used as political tools and have little economic justification," the study reads.
Awaiting reciprocity
Bulgaria welcomed the ECAS report and fully agrees with all its conclusions and recommendations, and Sofia is "fully in favour" of abolishing the restrictions for Bulgarian and Romanian workers, Betina Joteva, spokesperson for the Bulgarian mission to the EU, told EUobserver.
"We have opened our markets for all EU workers, because that is our understanding of this fundamental right [the free movement of people]," Ms Joteva added, expressing the hope that the 17 remaining member states will do the same for Bulgarians and Romanians "as soon as possible".
The European Commission is to present a report on the labour market situation after two years of EU membership for Bulgaria and Romania.
"The experience with the 2004 enlargement has shown that positive impacts on the economies and labour markets of the member states that did not apply restrictions definitely prevailed," a commission spokesperson said.
"And it is important to note that following the 2006 report of the commission on the functioning of the first phase of the transitional arrangements of the 2004 enlargement, more member states opened their labour markets," she added.