Britons concerned with Moldovan exodus

Incomes below EUR 50 per month and a considerable unemployment rate make Moldovan citizens desperately seeking for a decently-paid job in one of the EU countries. The International Organization for Migration has said that about 600,000 Moldovans have already left the country for work, the British publication “Telegraph” reports, cited by Info-Prim Neo. The newspaper mentions that other hundreds of thousands of persons from the R. of Moldova have applied for Romanian citizenship hoping that starting from 2007 they will work in one of the counties of the EU. In the past three weeks, at least 300,000 Moldovans have applied for citizenship. The UK Government is concerned with the increasingly growing wave of emigrants from Eastern Europe on the labor force market of the country, a phenomenon which seems to become even ampler once Romania and Bulgaria adhere to the European Union. As a protection measure, London decided on Tuesday to subject to restrictions Romanian and Bulgarian citizens who would like to work in Great Britain. Although, after the entry the right of free movement of the labor force should be applied, in Britain, low-skilled laborers won’t be able to work in other fields but agriculture. Nor Romanian and Bulgarian students will be able to work in England more than half a quota. Also on Tuesday, Ireland announced that it will limit the entrance of workers from those two countries to the local market of labor force. Among the main arguments in favor of the restrictions are the situation generated by the high number of Polish workers entering Britain after Poland’s accession to EU, in 2004. Following Britain and Ireland, Germany could impose its own restrictions to the Romanian and Bulgarian entrants, right after accession. “The Times” newspaper makes this announcement, citing officials from the German Foreign Ministry. It is expected that Germany will apply these measures in the next weeks. Restrictions could be maintained till the beginning of 2009, when the situation will be reanalyzed, but if necessary, the restrictions could last 3 years more. In 2012, Germany will make a final assessment of the economical development, of the demand of qualified workers and of the unemployment rate. In this case, restrictions can be extended till 2014, “The Times” reports.