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.