Britain may open labor market for Romanian, Bulgarian workers

The British Government may review limits on labor migration imposed on Romanian and Bulgarian workers and may even consider a complete elimination of the existing limits, The Guardian informs. The decision will be made in September this year and will be based on the conclusions of a Migration Impacts Forum, due to start on Thursday.

The current rules impose a threshold on the number of work permits that can be delivered to Romanian and Bulgarian citizens eager to work on the British market. The limits affect especially low-skilled workers willing to work in Britain’s food and agricultural sectors.

The Forum will lead to a report on the impact that such an opening of the British market may have. British ministers are expected to make a final decision in this regard in the last three months of 2007.

The Government in London announced in May that about 8,000 Romanian and Bulgarian workers entered Britain in the first three months after the two countries joined the European Union on January 1, 2007. Another 2,400 seasonal workers were reported.

The figures contrast strongly with the 180,000 Romanian and Bulgarian workers that British media had predicted prior to the EU accession of the two countries.

HotNews.ro, Jun 21, 2007