Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-04-04-Speech-2-061"
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Ladies and gentlemen, thank you, but I am accustomed to report presentations where the rapporteur speaks first and only then does the Commissioner provide a response. If you have decided to change this practice, however, then I am of course ready to begin.
I would like to begin, ladies and gentlemen, by thanking Mr Őry for an excellent report on a topic that constitutes one of the pillars of European integration. The aim of the transitional measures set out in the Accession Treaty is to enable Member States to work gradually towards achieving, as quickly as possible, the one irrevocable aim of providing all migrant workers from Member States that joined the European Union in 2004 with open access to employment in all Member States. This is one of the basic freedoms enshrined in the Treaty of Rome. As stated in the Accession Treaty, the Commission has assessed the operation of these transitional measures in respect of the initial two-year stage, in order to assist Member States in deciding either to retain the transitional measures or to abandon them. On the basis of the statistical data for 2004 and in some cases also for 2005, and also following consultations with the individual participants, the Commission has produced some specific conclusions relating to the first stage of the transitional period.
The number of workers registered since accession is generally very low, seldom reaching 1% of the active population of the host country. In addition, it seems that the influx of workers from the new Member States has had a basically positive effect. This is because enlargement has contributed to bringing black economy workers from EU-8 states out of the area of illegality. Accession has also led to a reduction in labour shortages and to improved economic results in Europe. The countries that did not introduce restrictions after May 2004 have recorded stronger economic growth, lower levels of unemployment and higher levels of employment. The workers who have been granted legal access to a labour market have experienced little difficulty in joining the market. It is, of course, only the Member States that can decide whether or not to apply the transitional measures, but the Commission may challenge the Member States to evaluate objectively the advantages and disadvantages of the measures. In reality, it is the second stage that is the actual transitional stage, which will bring us, wholly or at least in part, to the objective of freedom of movement for workers. In this spirit, the Member States implementing restrictions on the basis of the Accession Treaty must not treat nationals from EU-8 states who are already legally residing on their territory in a more restrictive way than nationals from third countries who are long-term residents, as reported in the previous plenary session. A letter explaining this has been sent to interior ministers in order to clarify the legal situation. Some moments ago the rapporteur mentioned this problem of citizens of third countries, so I hope you will allow me to emphasise once again that in the context of the directives and treaties on accession, it is not permissible to treat citizens of third countries who are long-term residents of an EU Member State in a more favourable way than citizens of EU Member States, that is, if there are restrictions applying to EU citizens, these shall logically apply also to citizens of third countries who are long-term residents of the EU Member State.
For the same reasons the Commission is also monitoring adherence to the provisions that forbid Member States from restricting access to their labour markets for workers from EU-8 states to a greater extent than was the case prior to the signing of the Accession Treaty, that is, prior to 16 April 2003. The Commission is at the same time backing calls for the Member States to apply the Community’s legal regulations scrupulously, especially in the area of posted workers. I acknowledge that we must greatly strengthen statistical monitoring of movements of workers within an EU framework, since there are many hypotheses meriting discussion that are impossible to verify using the existing statistical and analytical resources. The Commission supports proposals from Parliament for reinforcing social dialogue on both a European and a national level, with the aim of upholding the rights of workers from the new Member States. The Commission takes an equally favourable view of raising public awareness of freedom of movement for workers and the associated legislation. The declaration of 2006 as European Year of Workers’ Mobility should contribute to this aim.
Despite the fears expressed over gradual enlargement, freedom of movement for workers has not undermined intrastate labour markets. The free movement of persons is a basic principle applying to all citizens, and any limitation on it whatsoever can only be temporary and must be expressed strictly within the spirit of the treaties.
Ladies and gentlemen, in my speech I have once or twice used the term ‘new Member States’
It must be said that the new states of Central Europe have a history almost as long as the states of other parts of Europe, and with the enlargement of the European Union they are now Member States. Therefore I would like to state that I will not be using the term ‘new Member States’ again."@en1
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