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Finns to open up labor market

Along with the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Sweden, Finland will open its labor market to the 10 new countries that have joined the European Union since May 2004. In January, the European Commission will publish its evaluation report on the impact of enlargement on the labour market of the old member states, and it will most likely call on all member states to lift their barriers.

Finnish radio reported that Finland will choose not to apply for another transition period of three years banning citizens from eight countries of central and eastern Europe from working in Finland without a work permit. However, some Finnish unions are concerned about the potential surge of workers from the new EU members coming to work for lower salaries. The move has support from both the country`s prime minister Matti Vanhanen, and the labor minister Tarja Filatov.

The initiative could influence some of the other eleven countries, such as France and Germany, that may follow suit in lifting the temporary ban next year.