EU Expansion No Large Threat To Jobs, Says Commissioner

A day after Austria called for immigration curbs on future EU members, Employment Commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou told reporters that the impact from expansion on labour migration should be slight, although transition periods may be imposed. The 15 member European Union is currently in accession talks with 10 countries, six of which - Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Slovenia and Cyprus - are well along in the process, aiming to join the Union by the middle of the decade. The European Union is scheduled to open negotiations with six on the sensitive chapter dealing with the free movement of labor on May 25. The 15 member European Union is currently in accession talks with 10 countries, six of which - Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Estonia, Slovenia and Cyprus - are well along in the process, aiming to join the Union by the middle of the decade. The European Union is scheduled to open negotiations with six on the sensitive chapter dealing with the free movement of labor on May 25.