EC to Urge All EU States to Let In Bulgarian, Romanian Workers

Politics » BULGARIA IN EU | February 17, 2012, Friday // 16:32
Bulgaria: EC to Urge All EU States to Let In Bulgarian, Romanian Workers EU Commissioner for Employment Laszlo Andor. Photo by EC

The European Commission will request that labor restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians be lifted by the last nine EU member states to have them, EU Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs Laszlo Andor said in Brussels.

Of the 27 EU countries, nine - Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, and the UK - have decided to keep Bulgarians and Romanians out of their labor markets until the final possible date - December 31, 2013.

Under Bulgaria and Romania's EU accession agreements signed back in 2005, all other EU state had the right to deny labor market access to their citizens for a period of up to 7 years (in three phases: 2+3+2 years). A total of 16 out of the 25 other EU member states have lifted the labor restrictions for Bulgarians and Romanians during the first two phases.

"The Commission will present an overview of the implementation of the transitional measures by the Member States that will continue to impose restrictions to workers from Romania and Bulgaria until 31 December 2013. The final third phase of the transitional arrangements on free movement of workers from Bulgaria and Romania started on 1 January 2012," the EC said in a statement after Friday's sitting of the Council of EU Employment and Social Policy Ministers.

The EC notes that of 11 Member States that had still applied restrictions at the end of 2011, 2 Member States - Italy and the Czech Republic - informed the Commission that they had decided to end applying national law on labor market access and move to apply EU law on free movement of workers as of 1 January 2012.

"Nine Member States (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, and UK) notified the Commission before 31 December 2011 of their decision to continue to apply restrictions and provided an explanation with arguments and data of serious labour market disturbances or threat thereof," it added.

According to EU Commissioner Andor, however, the arguments provided by the nine states in question do not appear convincing, the Bulgarian National Radio reported.

Regardless of its latest push for unfettered labor rights across the EU, however, the Commission has no way of forcing the member states to open up their labor markets for Bulgarians and Romanians before the expiration of the transition period.

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Tags: EU, EC, European Union, European Commission, labor rights, labor market, labor markets, Lazslo Andor, EU Commissioner, EU Commissioner for Employment, Romanians, Romania

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