Restrictions on Bulgarians, Romanians to Stay in Belgium

Politics » BULGARIA IN EU | April 19, 2009, Sunday // 10:29
Bulgaria: Restrictions on Bulgarians, Romanians to Stay in Belgium Eleven EU member states have kept job restrictions on citizens of the countries that joined the EU in 2007. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Work restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian citizens are to be renewed by the Belgian government for a further three years, officials announced.

Belgium however will lift labour restrictions on workers from eight eastern European countries from May 1. It will allow workers from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia in to Belgium from next month, five years after their countries joined the European Union.

The move, which is yet to be greenlighted by a full session of ministers on Friday next week, makes Belgium one of eleven EU member states that have kept job restrictions on citizens of the two countries that joined the EU in 2007.

The UK, Germany and Austria have also retained labour market restrictions for citizens of Bulgaria and Romania despite a recommendation from the European Commission that they be lifted.

Bulgarians and Romanians are also required to secure a work permit in order to take up a job in Ireland.

Denmark has announced that it would stop applying restrictions for Bulgarian and Romanian workers from 1 May 2009, when it will also end all restrictions for workers from the EU-8 Member States.

The other EU-25 Member States that have notified the Commission of their decision to continue to apply national law on labour market access after 1 January 2009 include Italy, France, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands.

 

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Bulgaria in EU » Be a reporter: Write and send your article
Tags: labour

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria