By
The Associated Press
BRUSSELS, Belgium - Under pressure from Austria and Germany, the European Commission proposed a plan yesterday that would deny workers from Eastern Europe the right to settle in the trade bloc for up to seven years after their countries join the union.
Guenter Verheugen, the European Union's enlargement commissioner, said he did not expect cheap labor to flood western Europe once the doors to the East are open. Yet he had to consider the possibility of social upheaval, he said.
"This is an extremely sensitive issue for European Union nations and for applicant countries," Verheugen said.
The commission recently estimated that letting 10 Eastern European nations into the EU will result in the westward migration of about 3.9 million people. Germany and Austria could be the first stop for many.
Wary of anti-immigrant sentiments, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel have asked for a long transition period for Eastern workers. Labor unions, too, worry that existing pay and benefits levels may be eroded as the new workers arrive.
Verheugen proposed that workers from Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and other East European nations be kept out for five years after their countries join the EU. After that, a two-year extension would be possible under his proposal.
Verheugen's plan must now be debated by the 15 EU governments and the candidate nations.
Under EU law, citizens of the 15 member states can settle anywhere in the union if language is no problem and they have the right job qualifications.
In the past, the EU has used "transition periods" to slow down the free movement of people from new member states. When Portugal and Spain joined in the mid-1980s, workers from these countries could not settle freely in any EU nation for up to seven years.
Verheugen said the impact of the EU's eastward expansion on labor markets must be carefully monitored. He suggested regular reviews to make it possible to shorten or lengthen transition periods.
Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta and Slovakia are now negotiating entry into the EU. Turkey is a 13th candidate, but membership negotiations will not open soon.
Malta and Cyprus would be exempted from any transition deal for workers under Verheugen's proposal, because their populations are too small to affect the rest of the union.
The EU has not set any entry dates, but the most promising newcomers - notably, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic - may join as early as 2004.
