Great Britain is controversial about emigrants from Eastern Europe

Over 80.000 citizens of the Republic of Moldova have applied for the Romanian citizenship in the last three weeks, hoping to immigrate to the United Kingdom, stated the „Mail on Sunday” Britannic editorial, cited by Info-Prim Neo. The great number of passport requests is caused by warnings that Romania will close the doors for new citizens as soon as it will become a member of the European Union. From 2001, approximately 1.000 Moldovan have yearly obtained or recovered Romanian citizenship that as soon as Romania and Bulgaria will join the Union will allow them to freely travel through member countries, including Great Britain, mentioned the Britannic editorial. In the last three weeks, the number of requests for the Romanian citizenship has risen from a hundred per week, two months ago, to 80.000 since the end of August. The Republic of Moldova is seen by the British publication as the poorest country in Europe, and a recent poll showed that 90% of the country’s 4 million citizens would like to immigrate. The Bulgarian authorities have estimated that 100.000 citizens of Macedonia will apply for the Bulgarian citizenship to have the possibility to immigrate to Western countries. While the London press organized its campaign to warn about the potential dangers that the immigrant workers hold for the UK labor market, a group of British businessmen had a secret meeting with Premier Tony Blair and requested not to force restrictions on immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria. The meeting was held on a controversial background, as key figures of the Blair government requested to block access to the UK labor market for Eastern Europe immigrants. „The Observer” newspaper wrote that the meeting took place at the Kensington residence of a businessman, a close friend of the European Trade Commissar, Peter Mandelson. The businessmen at the meeting were representatives of the Business for New Europe (BFNE) lobby group, created in March “to support the active participation of Great Britain in the European Union”. The group was involved in a campaign to grant free access to the British labor market for Eastern Europe immigrants, a campaign started as result of the potential threat that the United Kingdom will be invaded by Bulgarians and Romanians once the two countries join the EU on January 1, 2007. In a recent press release, BFNE stated that if Romania and Bulgaria will join the EU at the beginning of next year, Great Britain should continue its open doors policy. “A pause in the immigration process from the two countries can hamper with Britannic interests”, the document signed by BFNE representatives and other managers states. In a speech held at the beginning of last week at the Britannic Syndicates Congress, Premier Blair stated that Romanian and Bulgarian workers can come and work in Great Britain after the two countries join the EU. The head of the London Government also mentioned that the workers will need a “labor license” for some period so that they will be harmlessly integrated in the British social system. The British Premier also mentioned the economic benefits of the immigration: “Immigrants that have entered Great Britain in the last few years have been welcomed. 97% of them have a full work day and only 3% bring children with them”, the head of the London government stated. But Blair’s affirmations come in conflict with a recently published report, on Saturday, by the „Sunday Telegraph“, according to which the number of children in Britannic schools from Eastern Europe has doubled during the last year.