MONDAY,
SEPTEMBER 4, 2006
BUCHAREST, Romania
Romania appealed to Britain on Monday to allow Romanians to travel and work
freely in the United Kingdom when their country joins the European
Union.
Romania and Bulgaria are scheduled to join the EU in January, and several EU member countries, including Britain, are considering whether to impose temporary restrictions on the immigration of workers from the two Balkan countries.
"The Foreign Ministry is pleading against imposing restrictions for Romanian workers in Britain so that Romanians are treated the same as the citizens of new member countries" that joined the EU in 2004, the ministry said in a statement.
The bloc's expansion in 2004 to take in 10 new countries led to the movement of hundreds of thousands of migrants from former communist states to Britain in search of work. This is widely regarded as a success, as hardworking immigrants filled gaps in the British economy.
The British government is hinting strongly, though, that it will close the door to immigrants when Romania and Bulgaria join, for fear a new wave of migrants will exceed the available jobs.
A British spokeswoman said officials would not decide on rules for Romanians and Bulgarians until the European Commission meets next month to confirm an accession date — likely Jan. 1 — for the two countries.
The Romanian ministry said it wanted to prevent discrimination against its citizens. It added that a study published in April by the Institute for Public Policy Research, concluded that migration from new EU member states benefited "old members." The study estimated that migration from Romania and Bulgaria would be limited to a few tens of thousands of workers.
Romania, a country of about 22 million with a rapidly expanding economy, is already facing labor shortages in some areas, and wages have risen rapidly.
Authorities estimate that there are over 2 million Romanians working abroad, most of them seasonally in Italy and Spain, with only about 6 percent of them working in Britain. About 3,600 Romanians have applied for visas to work in Britain in the last year.
Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said last week that authorities did not anticipate that many more Romanians would leave the country, given the fact that they can now find employment at home.
But some analysts and groups representing Romanian companies have warned that new opportunities for workers abroad could force businesses to raise wages steeply or face being left without qualified staff, and that both situations would lead to a loss of competitiveness.
The average monthly wage in Romania is about US$400 (€310) and unemployment is about 6 percent.
Many Romanian villages are empty of adults during the summers and some have direct bus links to Italian, French or Spanish villages, where the Romanians work.
Romania and Bulgaria are scheduled to join the EU in January, and several EU member countries, including Britain, are considering whether to impose temporary restrictions on the immigration of workers from the two Balkan countries.
"The Foreign Ministry is pleading against imposing restrictions for Romanian workers in Britain so that Romanians are treated the same as the citizens of new member countries" that joined the EU in 2004, the ministry said in a statement.
The bloc's expansion in 2004 to take in 10 new countries led to the movement of hundreds of thousands of migrants from former communist states to Britain in search of work. This is widely regarded as a success, as hardworking immigrants filled gaps in the British economy.
The British government is hinting strongly, though, that it will close the door to immigrants when Romania and Bulgaria join, for fear a new wave of migrants will exceed the available jobs.
A British spokeswoman said officials would not decide on rules for Romanians and Bulgarians until the European Commission meets next month to confirm an accession date — likely Jan. 1 — for the two countries.
The Romanian ministry said it wanted to prevent discrimination against its citizens. It added that a study published in April by the Institute for Public Policy Research, concluded that migration from new EU member states benefited "old members." The study estimated that migration from Romania and Bulgaria would be limited to a few tens of thousands of workers.
Romania, a country of about 22 million with a rapidly expanding economy, is already facing labor shortages in some areas, and wages have risen rapidly.
Authorities estimate that there are over 2 million Romanians working abroad, most of them seasonally in Italy and Spain, with only about 6 percent of them working in Britain. About 3,600 Romanians have applied for visas to work in Britain in the last year.
Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said last week that authorities did not anticipate that many more Romanians would leave the country, given the fact that they can now find employment at home.
But some analysts and groups representing Romanian companies have warned that new opportunities for workers abroad could force businesses to raise wages steeply or face being left without qualified staff, and that both situations would lead to a loss of competitiveness.
The average monthly wage in Romania is about US$400 (€310) and unemployment is about 6 percent.
Many Romanian villages are empty of adults during the summers and some have direct bus links to Italian, French or Spanish villages, where the Romanians work.
----------------------------
Vali
An aristocratic title is not enough to ensure a noble behaviour. A person's greatness comes from acknowledging the mistakes and agreeing to correct them.
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." (Jimi Hendrix)
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