European Union

The European Union enlargement in May 2004 has undoubtedly brought economic benefits to the new countries. It has created free movement of population easier, increased mobility and competition. One of the most important elements of the process of the EU enlargement are regulations in terms of labor market. Great Britain, Ireland and Sweden only agreed to open their labor markets to the new member of the UE without any interim periods. According to the European Committee projects raport these countries are happy regarding no restrictions on their labor markets for new EU members so far. Furthermore, citizens of the new countries in the EU do not represent more than one per cent of the local workforce in the fifteen countries of the old European Union ( according to official statistics, not including those who work illegally). The forecast, that citizens of the new countries in the EU would go to the western Europe to cadge doles and benefits from social welfare turned out untrue. For thousands of hundreds Europeans free flow of population in labor market means a better job, a job in their own profession, a better pay and broader access to improve their skills and more successful career. Discretion in the labor market area has become an opportunity to make a young generation of Europeans' dreams come through. Moreover, that does mean that we can decide ourselves where and how we would like to live, work and create our home. Nowadays the process of migration involves more and more millions of people and it is a person's individual decision rather then a necessity. In the Irish press there was a rumor and discussion caused by results of a public opinion poll carried out recently. Seventy eight per cent of Irish think that workers from the new European Union states should be required work permits in order to work in Ireland. It is actually unequivocal opinion of Irish society, which certainly causes mixed feelings among immigrants. I am not the one who should judge methodology of the poll, its results and whatever it brings in. I leave it with each of you. I am only wondering on how much Irish and Polish people's personal experience of foreigners affected the results of the poll. How much we know each other. How much one knows immigrants' aspirations and ambitions. How much does one assess others on the basis of fear and lack of knowing them. According to Polish press Norway and Finland are about to open their labor markets in May 2006. Spain, Netherlands, Italy and Greece may relax a restriction in accessing their labor markets. On the contrary, Germany and Austria are going to sustain the limitation until 2009.