Bulgaria pins great expectations for an open door labor market in the ten older member states that still impose restrictions for job-seekers from the country and its northern neighbor Romania, a Bulgarian MEP has said.

“The European Commission already recommended to the member states to open their labor markets for Bulgarians and Romanians. The first round of negotiations for lifting the restrictions will be held with France and Italy,” Iliana Ivanova told a news conference in Sofia, adding Germany should also be on the list.

"We do not expect all countries to lift the restrictions to their labor markets simultaneously, but our aim is to draw the public attention to the issue and pile up pressure on these countries to take this important step prior to 2011,” she said.

The restrictions can be kept for another two years, until 2013, if the countries present evidence to back up their claims that the Bulgarian and Romanian job-seekers are a burden for their labor markets.

Bulgarian and Romanian MEPs plan to launch a debate on the issue in the plenary hall of the European Parliament in Strasbourg within weeks.

Belgium is one of the ten 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.

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.

The presence of eastern European workers is extremely sensitive in Austria and Germany, which border the poorer region and the situation became even worse when recession started to boost unemployment rate.

The European Commission and the European Parliament can only recommend to the member states to open their labor markets for Bulgarians and Romanians, but it is up to the countries themselves to take the final decision.

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