Free Movement of Workers: No more restrictions for new Member States

5.56.47pm GMT Wed 8th Feb 2006

Graham Watson, Group Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), commenting on the report regarding the restrictions to the free movement of workers from new Member States, to be presented today by Commissioner Vladimir Spidla: "I hope that we will soon be able to do away with these restrictions to the free movement because if they continue to apply, the gap between old and new Member States will be ever growing."

In its report, the Commission reveals figures proving that the flow of migrant workers from central Europe is rather limited; too small, in fact, to affect the job market in Western Europe. On the contrary, the twelve countries that are maintaining the transitional derogations of the free movement until 2007, as stipulated by the Accession Treaty, may have to address a sharp increase of illegal work and an influx of non-affiliated or independent workers as the real risks disturbing their national job markets.

"The principal political problem for the EU is the lack of courage from Europe's leaders who prefer to follow a public opinion which is scared by disinformation, rather than steering it, as we have a right to expect from genuine leaders", underlines Graham Watson. "The free movement of workers, just as the free movement of services, of which the new Member countries are the vanguard, lie at the foundation of the Union, and nothing justifies that they be suspended any longer under false pretences."

A Liberal MEP from a new Member State, Istvan Szent Ivanyi MEP (Hungary, SZDSZ) has tabled an oral question with debate to the Council for the next plenary session which draws a parallel with the situation of immigrant workers of third countries for whom access to employment in all Member States is guaranteed by Directive 2003/109/EC since 23rd January this year. "It is paradoxical that citizens of third countries have more rights than EU citizens whilst we barely pretend to have equality of treatment."