Four more European Union member countries have lifted labor market restrictions for Bulgarian and Romanian workers, said the European Commission on Thursday.
Greece, Spain, Hungary and Portugal that previously restricted access of Bulgarian and Romanian workers to their labor markets have decided to lift the restrictions and apply European law on free movement of workers.
So far, workers from Bulgaria and Romania can move freely to 14 member states to take up employment there. Most of them are Eastern European EU members and Baltic states.
The first phase of the transitional arrangements on free movement for Bulgarian and Romanian workers ended on Dec. 31, 2008.
EU-25 countries that wanted to continue to apply restrictions during the second phase of the transitional arrangements had to notify the Commission before Jan. 1, 2009.
Eleven EU-25 Member States have notified the Commission of their decision to continue to apply national law on labor market access. Restrictions on free movement are usually requiring a work permit.
European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Vladimir Spidla welcomed the decision of the four countries.
"I continue to encourage member states who still impose restrictions to lift them as soon as possible: it makes economic sense," he said.
"The economic downturn is not a reason to keep restrictions. Free labor mobility is self-regulatory and provides a much needed flexibility in both directions: workers go to where there is demand for labor, not to be unemployed in another country," he added.
Denmark, which currently imposes some restrictions, has also announced that it will stop applying restrictions for Bulgarian and Romanian workers from May 1, 2009, when it will also end all restrictions for workers from the EU-8 member states.
In principle, full free movement of workers should apply after the end of the second phase on Dec. 31, 2011.
Member states can only maintain restrictions thereafter if there is a serious disturbance or threat to the labor market.
All restrictions for workers from Bulgaria and Romania must be lifted by Dec. 31, 2013 at the very latest when full free movement of workers will apply across the EU-27.
A report presented by the European Commission in November 2008 on the impact of free movement of workers in the context of EU enlargement showed that labor mobility flows in the wake of the 2004 and 2007 EU enlargements have made an overall positive economic impact and workers from the new member states have helped to meet labor demand in receiving countries without causing serious labor market disturbances.
Source:Xinhua
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