Brussels, 17/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - Germany has decided to maintain restrictions on access to the labour market for workers from Eastern EU member states until 2011. It has said, however, that it will relax rules for university graduates wishing to immigrate to Germany. In particular, Germany has decided to reduce the minimum salary foreign workers must earn from €86,400 a year ago to €63,600 now, and to no longer require graduates from the EU27 to prove that they are not displacing a German applicant, announced the German labour ministry in Berlin on Wednesday 16 July in a press release. The German labour minister, Olaf Scholz, said that the measures aimed to tackle the chronic shortages of highly skilled workers, and explained that Germany had to position itself in the global fight to attract brain power.
The United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden immediately opened their labour markets to workers from all EU member states on 1 May 2004, and Finland, Spain, Portugal and Greece lifted all their restrictions in May 2006, followed by Italy in July 2006, the Netherlands in May 2007, France in May 2008 (but not for workers from Bulgaria and Romania, countries which joined the EU in 2007, see EUROPE 9478 and 9670). Belgium is expected to decide in July or September 2008 whether to open up its labour market but the country's institutional crisis might lead to delays in the decision. Nine 'old' EU15 member states have now completely opened up their labour markets to Bulgarian and Romanian workers (not Sweden or Finland). Spain is expected to follow suit this year, explains the German labour ministry in a press release. (G.B./transl.fl)