Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-03-13-Speech-1-178"
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"en.20060313.22.1-178"2
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"Mr President, I recall how almost two years ago now, a few days after the historic enlargement of the European Union, I took the floor in this House and called on the governments of the so-called old Union to be brave and to abandon transitional periods. I called on them to open up their labour markets to citizens of the new Member States. Unfortunately, only three Member States were courageous enough to open up their labour markets at that time. I refer to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden. The remaining 12 Member States gave in to the fears or maybe even the pressures of their own public opinion and citizens and barricaded themselves against an influx of workers from the new Member States, especially from Central and Eastern Europe. What conclusions can be drawn after these two years? Clearly, those who have benefited the most are the very same three countries that dared to open their labour markets.
The European Commission communication issued about a month ago, in February if I am not mistaken, makes it very clear that unemployment has not increased in countries that decided to open their labour markets. Social problems have not either. What has happened is quite the opposite. The economy has gathered additional pace, and income from taxation has increased. Such are the benefits of the practical implementation of one of the fundamental principles of the Treaty. It could even be deemed the most fundamental of them all. It is part of the foundations upon which the Union is built, and we should be striving to implement it across the 25 current Members of the European Union.
On the eve of the expiry of the first transitional period I am delighted that a couple more governments are reconsidering opening their labour markets. It must however be pointed out that the way things stand, they still constitute a minority of the old Fifteen. This is a serious problem, and I should like to send out the following appeal. As we each take the floor in the near future to debate Parliament’s resolution, we should send out a clear call to the governments of Member States not simply to consider opening up their labour markets. We should appeal to them to go ahead and open them fully to allow the free movement of workers."@en1
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