POLAND: Mr Lech Walesa, the former president of Poland, struck a sour note yesterday during the European Parliament's ceremonies to mark the arrival of the 10 new states when he likened continuing restrictions on migrant workers to communist rule.
Mr Walesa, the former leader of the Solidarity movement, was guest of honour in Strasbourg for the admission of new representatives from the 10 states that joined the EU on Saturday.
"I have been invited here as a sign of the great struggle for a united Europe," he told the crowd assembled in front of the parliament building beside flagpoles that had been made in the shipyards of Gdansk, scene of some of Solidarity's early trials of strength.
Representatives from the national parliaments of the 10 states presented their national flags to the president of the European Parliament, Mr Pat Cox, to be raised on the flagpoles.
"Today we can see all the wishes of the former generations fulfilled," Mr Walesa said.
However, in a press conference a few minutes before, he had suggested that some wishes remained outstanding.
Asked about the measures imposed by Germany and Austria restricting access to their labour markets for migrant workers from the new states, Mr Walesa said: "This is communism."
It was strange, he added, that western EU states did not want to take advantage of skilled and cheap workers, adding that companies would probably go east in search of the labour anyway.
Mr Cox welcomed the 162 new MEPs to join the existing 626, saying it was "a special and extraordinary moment".
The total number of MEPs will be reduced after the June elections. During this week, the last one of the old parliament, officials are keeping their fingers crossed that not all MEPs will show up to vote as there are not enough voting machines.