Hungary Plays Down German EU Jobs Proposal

Hungary played down Tuesday the significance of a German proposal to restrict the rights of workers from EU candidate states for a seven-year-transition period, noting that it was not an EU position. "The German chancellor spoke about the standpoint of Germany .. and not about the European Union's standpoint," said state radio quoted Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi as saying. German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said on Monday that Germany's labor market could not bear an immediate influx of workers from new member states, who should wait for seven years after accession. Hungary, a first-wave EU candidate, "will get the standpoint of Brussels on the free movement of workforce in the first half of next year under the new roadmap," Martonyi said. Hungary "will formulate its own opinion in the light of that," he added. As well as Germany, Austria has also frequently expressed worries that a cheap Hungarian workforce might flood its labor market when Hungary joins the EU, spoiling chances for domestic employees.