Brussels, 07/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - Addressing the French National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the worst scene scenario of mass immigration of workers from new EU Member States to old EU Member States had not occurred and it was unfair to suggest this would happen with enlargement. What happened to the worst scene scenarios that kept people awake at night? The Spanish builder and Polish plumber, flexible and cheap, were supposed to flood the job market, European tax-payers were supposed to have to foot the bill even more, the European institutions were supposed to become paralysed, old Member State companies were supposed to migrate en masse to counties without social restrictions and with ridiculously low pay - these fears have proved largely unfounded, he said. The Commissioner rejected the argument that some companies have relocated because the EU's borders have been opened to central and Eastern Europe, explaining that company relocation started two decades ago with the growth of globalisation, well before the accession of central and East European countries. Rehn explained that enlargement would not lead to an explosion in the EU budget and EU institutions would continue to function with 25 Member States, although it would have been better of course to have had a Constitutional Treaty to oil the works and give a new impetus to the common project. People's fears about the next series of enlargement are real and have to be taken into account, but the EU cannot drop its responsibilities in Europe. Pledges have been made to the Western Balkans and Turkey, which have been offered accession by EU heads of state. This prospect has an important role in driving forward democratic reform and slamming the door in their face now would be irresponsible, explained the Commissioner. The accession criteria would, however, have to be closely met by all candidate countries, he added. Rehn concluded that enlargement was not perfection on a plate and did incorporate risks, but if meticulously prepared, it would bring an undeniable value added to the EU - more peace, more human rights, more growth and employment opportunities. Rather than using enlargement as the scapegoat for temporary problems, it should be turned into a winning formula for the European Union, said Rehn.