The Government seems set to restrict the numbers of Bulgarians and Romanians who can come to work in Ireland after their countries expected entry to the EU next year.
A Government spokesman said yesterday that no decision had been made on the issue. However, there are clear indications from Government sources that Ireland will follow the lead of the UK and almost all other EU states and insist that Bulgarians and Romanians will continue to need work permits before taking up employment here. With Britain preparing to restrict workers from these states, it is highly unlikely that Ireland will allow unrestricted access as it did for workers from the 10 states who joined the EU on May 1st, 2004.
Ireland, Britain and Sweden were the only countries to impose no restrictions on such workers from the beginning. Government sources insist there is no regret about this decision, saying the foreign workers that have arrived in Ireland in recent years were and continue to be needed by the economy.
However, the Government believes the supply of labour available through migration from those 10 states is more than adequate for the needs of Irish business, and that giving unrestricted access to Bulgarians and Romanians could lead to the displacement of Irish workers and undermining of pay and conditions that some trade unionists, as well as the Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte, have been warning about.
A decision to restrict immigration from these countries, coupled with the imminent Bill to make it compulsory for non-EU citizens to carry biometric ID cards at all times, will be used by the Government to signal that it is being "tough" on immigration. Research and anecdotal evidence available to the main political parties is believed to indicate significant public dissatisfaction at the number of foreigners who have come to Ireland in recent years.
While January 1st, 2007 is the target date for the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, the EU will not make a final decision until this autumn amid continuing concerns over whether both countries are ready to join the Union.
Britain's trade secretary Alistair Darling said last week that his government would have "no open door policy" for Bulgarian and Romanian workers.