Contrary to popular belief, the European Union's expansion towards central and Eastern Europe has not sparked a massive influx of Polish plumbers or Bulgarian builders to the bloc's richest nations, figures due out Tuesd According to the European Commission's latest report, more and more workers from the EU's 12 newest member states have been relocating to Germany or Britain since being allowed to move freely around the 27-member bloc. However, their numbers remain small in relative terms. In fact, the EU's richer nations continue to receive a far higher share of foreign immigrants from the developing world. For instance, the number of Bulgarians and Romanians who found a job in one of the EU's 15 older member states grew to 1.6 million in 2007, up from 1.3 million in 2006 -- when those two countries were not yet part of the EU. Most of them have headed to Spain and Italy. But Bulgarians and Romanians still account for just 0.4 percent of the total population of the EU's richest nations, compared to 0.3 percent in 2006.
According to the European Commission's latest report, more and more workers from the EU's 12 newest member states have been relocating to Germany or Britain since being allowed to move freely around the 27-member bloc.
However, their numbers remain small in relative terms. In fact, the EU's richer nations continue to receive a far higher share of foreign immigrants from the developing world.
For instance, the number of Bulgarians and Romanians who found a job in one of the EU's 15 older member states grew to 1.6 million in 2007, up from 1.3 million in 2006 -- when those two countries were not yet part of the EU. Most of them have headed to Spain and Italy.
But Bulgarians and Romanians still account for just 0.4 percent of the total population of the EU's richest nations, compared to 0.3 percent in 2006.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Contrary to common widespread fears, the two EU enlargements of 2004 and 2007 have not led to a massive influx of central and eastern European workers to the "old" member states, according to a European Commission report to be released on Tuesday (18 November). The number of workers from the countries that joined the EU in 2004 now living in the 15 "old" member states has only grown from 0.3 percent of their total population in 2003 to 0.5 percent by the end of 2007, with those workers mostly heading to Ireland and the UK. Opening their labour markets to all EU workers could only be beneficial for the bloc's member states, according to Brussels. Meanwhile, the number of Bulgarian and Romanian workers has increased from 0.2 to 0.4 percent over the same period, with most of them opting for Italy and Spain as their destination. In total, there are still more migrants from states outside the EU coming to work in the EU-15 countries than nationals from the countries that joined the bloc since 2004, according to the commission's data. In addition to the size of intra-EU migration remaining relatively stable, the 'new' workers have not caused "serious disturbances" on labour markets, the report concludes.
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Contrary to common widespread fears, the two EU enlargements of 2004 and 2007 have not led to a massive influx of central and eastern European workers to the "old" member states, according to a European Commission report to be released on Tuesday (18 November).
The number of workers from the countries that joined the EU in 2004 now living in the 15 "old" member states has only grown from 0.3 percent of their total population in 2003 to 0.5 percent by the end of 2007, with those workers mostly heading to Ireland and the UK.
Opening their labour markets to all EU workers could only be beneficial for the bloc's member states, according to Brussels.
Meanwhile, the number of Bulgarian and Romanian workers has increased from 0.2 to 0.4 percent over the same period, with most of them opting for Italy and Spain as their destination.
In total, there are still more migrants from states outside the EU coming to work in the EU-15 countries than nationals from the countries that joined the bloc since 2004, according to the commission's data.
In addition to the size of intra-EU migration remaining relatively stable, the 'new' workers have not caused "serious disturbances" on labour markets, the report concludes.
