Engeland waarschuwt voor restricties toelatingsbeleid Bulgaren en Roemenen op arbeidsmarkt (en)

The uncertainty over the fate of Bulgarian and Romanian workers wanting to work in the UK once they become EU citizens - expected in January - continues with another strong warning from London but no clear proposal.

On Tuesday (19 September), home secretary John Reid gave a potent indication that the two countries could face labour restrictions.

"We need to manage immigration carefully, including in respect of the forthcoming decisions over Romania and Bulgaria," he told a Police Superintendents' Association annual conference, according to UK media.

"We need to consider very carefully all the implications of accession of new states and ensure that we have all the necessary safeguards in place right down to local borough level to reassure the public that this movement will be managed fairly and competently."

The UK was one of just three member states - along with Ireland and Sweden - which did not restrict workers coming from central and eastern European member states after they joined the EU in 2004.

Since then hundreds of thousands have come to the country to work, filling in gaps in several job areas. However, the numbers were much higher than London had estimated with around 427,000 having registered to work since May two years ago.

With Bulgaria and Romania to join the bloc in just three months, the UK has so far been much more equivocal with trade secretary Alistair Darling in August saying he supported a curb on the new migrants and prime minister Tony Blair earlier this month hinting at a tougher policy on labour market access.

On top of this, there have also been reports in the UK press about the Home Office being concerned about the extent of organised crime originating from the two countries - something reflected in Mr Reid's speech on Tuesday.

"As global migration increases and the EU continues to expand we need to be ready for fresh challenges - including in the law enforcement field," he said.

"I know that law enforcement agencies have already been working closely with the Romanian and Bulgarian governments to identify the new challenges and that is part of the necessary reassurance that there will be careful, considered management."

While the UK considers its final decision on the issue - something that is likely to greatly influence any decision by the Irish government - a recent report on the movement of workers across the bloc suggested that Bulgarians and Romanians would prefer Italy, Spain and Greece as their work destinations.

And while national governments in general decide whether to impose labour restrictions, Romanians and Bulgarians, as EU citizens, will anyway be allowed to travel, live and be self-employed in any of the member states.