The European Commission will urge 12 European states on Wednesday to finally open their borders to workers from the bloc's ex-communist newcomer states as a way of boosting their economies. .
In the first of three reports on the transitional phase since the European Union's "big bang" enlargement of May 2004, the EU's executive arm says that fears of an invasion by cheap "Polish plumbers" were unfounded. .
"In spite of fears expressed on the occasion of the successive enlargements, free movement of workers has not led to disruption of national labour markets," the commission says in a draft of its report, obtained by AFP. .
Most of the 15 members of "Old Europe" -- Britain, Ireland and Sweden aside -- have kept their doors shut to potential labour from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia since 2004. .
The restrictions have included demands for work permits -- which some countries limit with quotas -- but do not apply to workers from Cyprus or Malta, which joined the bloc on the same day. .
The measures are supposed to be phased out over a seven-year period, with the first of the three phases due to end on April 30, as EU states are not allowed to discriminate against workers on the basis of nationality. .
In its report, the commission limits itself to counselling each of the EU member states that has kept the restrictions in place, but it quite clearly calls for the bloc's labour borders to be opened. .
"Freedom of movement of workers is one of the basic freedoms under the European community treaty," the text reads. "The aim of the transitional measures is to allow them to prepare themselves to achieve this ultimate and irrevocable goal as soon as possible." .
The 12 countries concerned will have until the end of April to decide whether to lift the restrictions, keep them in place for a few years or make them more flexible; for example, by limiting them to certain sectors. .
Austria and Germany, which border many of the new states, have already said they will not be changing policy now. Finland and Spain, on the other hand, appear ready to lift the restrictions. .
Others, like Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have not yet taken a clear public stance. .
In launching its call, the commission cites the example of Britain, Ireland and Sweden, and how fears of a flood of cheap labour never materialised. .
"Those that had decided not to apply any restrictions ... were generally extremely positive about the effects of this decision on their labour markets, emphasising the positive contribution made" by new states' workers, it said. .
Among the benefits, the report says, were the kinds of jobs the new workers could fill and so relieve shortages in sectors like the building trade, and domestic and catering services. .
The study also rejects claims that EU enlargement has brought with it a massive influx of labour that has placed a terrific burden on the member states. .
According to the data compiled, the movements of workers from east to west "are very limited and are simply not large enough to affect the EU labour market in general." — AFP
A humourous picture from the Polish tourist office in Paris shows a pretty nurse with the slogan 'Poland: I wait for you'. During the campaign leading to the French 'no' in a May referendum on the EU constitution, the 'Polish plumber' became a symbol of the cheap labour from new member states which was supposedly a threat to French jobs. The European Commission will urge 12 European states on Wednesday to finally open their borders to workers from the bloc's ex-communist newcomer states as a way of boosting their economies