Commission split on EU10’s right to work

By Anna McLauchlin

Date: 26/01/06

The question of whether to open up labour markets in the old EU member states to workers from new member states has created further divisions within the European Commission.

Peter Mandelson, the British commissioner in charge of trade, and Joaqu’n Almunia, the Spanish commissioner for economic affairs, have lined up with a group of eight commissioners from the new Central and Eastern Europe member states calling for the restrictions to be phased out.

Vladim’r S

pidla, the Czech who is commissioner for employment and social affairs, has been strongest in urging the opening of the old member states' labour markets to the new EU citizens.

In a discussion on Monday (23 January) between commissioners' representatives, the ten urged their colleagues to include an explicit call for the end of labour market restrictions in the Commission's report on the implementation of the Lisbon Agenda, which was approved on Wednesday (25 January) and will be presented to EU summit in March.

But the representative of Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the Austrian commissioner in charge of external relations, opposed the reference being included in the report.

Austria intends to prolong restrictions for at least another three years, and Ferrero-Waldner has already clashed with S

pidla over the issue.

Her position is made more difficult because as commissioner for external relations she is responsible for neighbourhood policy. In a speech she gave on Tuesday (24 January) on migration policy she said: "It is understandable that our citizens are worried about employment and increased competition for jobs. But the prevailing view of migration is, unfortunately, based more on emotion than fact."

According to sources, Ferrero-Waldner is largely isolated in her strong line on maintaining restrictions on EU10 workers. Both Günter Verheugen, enterprise commissioner, and the Commission President José Manuel Barroso are understood to be in favour of lifting restrictions. But Verheugen is keeping quiet in order not to clash with his national government in Berlin, which wants to prolong the restrictions.

The version of the annual progress report on the Lisbon Agenda published yesterday (25 January) called on member states to "consider accelerating the removal of all restrictions".

Greece now looks set to open its doors from 1 May along with Spain and Finland. France and Belgium are also considering relaxing their restrictions in a way similar to the Dutch, who have welcomed construction workers from new member states since December.

Poland's Minister of Employment Krzysztof Michalkiewicz held bilateral talks with seven colleagues from the old member states at the informal EU employment summit in Villach last weekend (19-21 January).

Sweden, the UK and Ireland are the only countries that did not impose restrictions on workers from new member state workers in 2004.

Article reports that the question of whether to open up labour markets in the old EU member states to workers from new member states created further divisions within the European Commission. In a discussion on 23 January between Commissioners' representatives, the ten urged their colleagues from the old Member States to include an explicit call for the end of labour market restrictions in the Commission's report on the implementation of the Lisbon Agenda, which was approved on 25 January 2006 and was to be presented to EU summit in March.