Poland Opposes Seven-Year Restriction on Free Movement of Labor After EU Entry

Poland immediately rejected Wednesday a proposal by the European Commission to allow member states to keep out workers from candidate countries in eastern Europe for up to seven years after their accession. "It is very clear we are not in agreement with the proposals of Commissioner Verheugen. They are very close to the German and Austrian proposals, with some changes. Naturally we don't accept that position," Poland's chief EU negotiator, Jan Kulakowski, was quoted as saying by PAP news agency. Trying to strike a compromise on the sensitive issue of free movement of labor, Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen put forward a proposal for a general transition period of five years when member countries could impose their own restrictions. Once the five years are up, any member state would be able to maintain its national provisions for an extra two years in the case of serious disturbances in its labor market. Germany and Austria have called for a seven-year transition period on the free movement of labor, fearful of a flood of workers from neighboring candidate states such as Poland and Hungary. "Our position today is that no transition period is necessary in the area of free movement of people," said Kulakowski.