Germany to Ease Restrictions for Bulgarian Job-Seekers

The presence of eastern European workers is extremely sensitive in Austria and Germany. Photo by BGNES

Germany will lift the restrictions to its labor market for citizens of Bulgaria for six month in the year, allowing the employment mostly of seasonal workers, the social policy minister has said.

"The German labor market will be opened for Bulgarians six months in the year. We talk here mostly about seasonal employment,in the sectors of tourism, services and construction, for which Bulgarian workers may apply," Minister Totyu Mladenov said on Sunday.

According to him the German government is expected to take a decision to this effect next month.

Bulgaria has recently renewed its calls for an open door labor market in the ten older member states that still impose restrictions for job-seekers from the country and its northern neighbor Romania.

Bulgarian politicians have repeatedly said they do not expect all countries to lift the restrictions to their labor markets simultaneously, but their aim is to draw the public attention to the issue and pile up pressure on these countries to take this important step prior to 2011.

The restrictions can be kept for another two years, until 2013, if the countries present evidence to back up their claims that the Bulgarian and Romanian job-seekers are a burden for their labor markets.

Belgium is one of the ten EU member states that have kept job restrictions on citizens of the two countries that joined the EU in 2007.

The UK, Germany and Austria have also retained labour market restrictions for citizens of Bulgaria and Romania despite a recommendation from the European Commission that they be lifted.

Bulgarians and Romanians are also required to secure a work permit in order to take up a job in Ireland.

The other EU-25 Member States that have notified the Commission of their decision to continue to apply national law on labour market access after 1 January 2009 include Italy, France, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands.

The presence of eastern European workers is extremely sensitive in Austria and Germany, which border the poorer region and the situation became even worse when recession started to boost unemployment rate.

The European Commission and the European Parliament can only recommend to the member states to open their labor markets for Bulgarians and Romanians, but it is up to the countries themselves to take the final decision.

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