Brussels, 08/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - On 8 February, as expected, the European Commission adopted the report on transition measures on the free movement of workers in the EU since the May 2004 accession of ten new Member States, in line with the Treaty of Accession (see EUROPE 9112 and 9125). This report seeks to present full and precise information on the situation in Member States which immediately opened their labour markets to workers from the new Member States - the United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden - and in the majority of other EU-15 States which put in place a transitional period. The aim is to help Member States to decide on a factual basis whether they wish to continue to impose national restrictions to the movement of workers. The next stage will be the submission of the report to the Council. Member States have until 30 April 2006 to notify the Commission of their decision on whether or not to raise national restrictions on the free movement of workers.
As he presented the report to the Press, Social Affairs Commissioner Vladimir Spidla highlighted the following conclusions: (1) labour markets in Europe remained stable after enlargement. Germany registered only a 3.5% increase in delivery of work permits compared with its quotas, said Mr Spidla; (2) there is no direct link between the magnitude of migratory flows from the Member States and the transition measures in force, migratory fluxes being determined ultimately by supply and demand conditions; (3) enlargement has had largely positive effects in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden (the three countries that immediately opened their labour markets) where unemployment dropped and where there has been growth in employment and the economy. Workers from the new States filled the gaps in the labour markets, said Mr Spidla. Markets must not be seen in terms only of redistribution of workers, said the Commissioner, but also as creating new jobs and economic circuits, and he noted that the countries which did not open their labour markets were subject to pressures due to “black economy and the grey market”, as in Germany. Mr Spidla also pointed out that a large number of the workers from the new Member States who moved to the United Kingdom were already “present in the British employment market” before enlargement. The Commissioner concluded by asking for backward looking views to be given up.
Responding to journalists, Mr Spidla spoke, among other things, about:
1) Situation in Bulgaria and Romania: “These two countries are part of the European context. The Czech Republic has decided not to impose transition periods with them.”
2) What about Germany where, on 1st May 2005, the proportion of workers from the new Member States was much higher than in Sweden and the United Kingdom. If the situation is examined carefully, the proportion of these workers in Germany is 0.7% and in the United Kingdom 0.4%, an insignificant difference, which does not show perturbation due to the arrival of these new workers.
3) “Services” Directive: Will calls to remove Articles 24 and 25, which refer to the “posting of workers” Directive, not cause the arrival of massive new waves of workers? (see other article) If the two Articles are removed, the Commission will re-examine the situation carefully, ensuring that the position of Member States conforms to European legislation and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice, assured Mr Spidla, and he announced that the Commission was drafting a report on the effects of the “posting of workers” directive which should be ready in the next two months. He said that the Commission was ready to help Member States' administrations cooperate better in the implementation of this directive, in part through the publication of guides synthesizing the judgments of the Court and the best practices in administrative cooperation. He said that this was something of great moment at the European Parliament, but in reality the situation was less dramatic than it seemed.
4) Migratory flows: The proportion of migratory flows from third countries was much higher than from new Member States. The standard of living in the new Member States had been underestimated: for example, Lithuania had seen growth of 10% in 2005 and the Czech Republic 12%, said Mr Spidla.
"What matters is that the standard of living in the new Member States is high enough. The Czech Republic comes fourth in the list of countries with the best environmental protection, and the level of health care charges in the new Member States are on a par with those of the 15"; 5) Is the report that not lagging slightly behind enlargement, which was "yesterday"?: "No. The statistics have been interpreted, but we are acting cautiously. Between 2003 and 2005, there was no increase in volume of workers entering the EU15"; 6) Which countries are to change their rules after 1 May?: "I cannot say, as the information I have been given is not official. We will be notified of the decision by the Member States no later than 30 April. If they make no modifications, the transition regime will be cancelled", said Mr Spidla.