Der Spiegel: Romanians and Bulgarians are not rightful citizens on the European labor market just yet

European labor markets are still forbidden to Romanian and Bulgarian citizens, as EU member states continue to maintain restrictions. The global economic crisis deepens the situation, Der Spiegel reads in its electronic edition.

According to the EC report published on Thursday, old member states are worried that they will lose their hiring abilities, using the financial crisis as an argument to protect the labor market. Therefore, states like the Netherlands are still restricting access for new EU member states like Romanians and Bulgarians.

SEO research agency in Amsterdam employee Arjan Heyma declared that the effects of the economic migration from Eastern Europe are marginal. Heyma studies the impact of Eastern European migration on the Dutch economy and said that the only effect is felt in the agriculture industry, where salary reductions were felt.

In accordance with EU expansion principle, all EU member states need to open up their gates to Romanian and Bulgarian citizens by 2012 if serious problems do not affect the local labor market. The fear that this will lead to supplementary job losses is unfounded, the European Commission concluded after a 2008 research report.