Ireland lifts restrictions for Romanian workers

The Irish Government has removed all restrictions on access to the labour market for workers from Romania and Bulgaria.

Restrictions have dated since the accession of the two countries to the EU five years ago, recounts the daily Irish Times Electronic Edition.

Abolition of restrictions comes a few months after the request of the European Commission to the Irish Government to examine the need for the current restrictions.

"It has become clear that the basis for further restrictions on access to the labour market to Romanians and Bulgarians is questionable," shows a press release of the Irish Department of Labour, Business and Innovation.

"The Government has decided to immediately advance to the date of access to the labour market of Bulgarian and Romanian citizens," the Department added.

The number of applications for work permits from Romania and Bulgaria have fallen by almost eight times from 2003 to 2011, the Irish Ministry of Labour shows.

"From a peak in 2003, the number of those seeking employment in Ireland has declined significantly since 2007.

"In 2003, approximately 3,600 work permits were requested by citizens of the two countries, reaching 500 applications in 2011," also shows the Irish Government press release, taken over by the Irish Times.

Eight European countries also maintain restrictions

16 Member States of the European Union have lifted restrictions on the labour market to Romanians.

Among them starting January 1 2012 include Italy and Iceland.

Germany also has liberalized, but only in part, the access to employment.

Luxembourg has expanded the scope of the simplified procedure for granting work permits.

Total or partial restrictions are maintained by Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria and the United Kingdom.

Faced with the highest unemployment in the euro area since the introduction of the single currency and with extremely high levels of unemployment among young people, the European Commission proposed on April 18 a package of measures designed to encourage the creation of jobs in Europe.

Translated by

Denisse-Meda Bucura

MTTLC, Bucharest University