Netherlands - Immigrants face possible restrictions

22 January 2004

Instead of completely closing borders to accession country nationals after 1 May, when 10 Central and Eastern European countries will become full EU members, the Dutch government is simply considering imposing a maximum limit on the number of East European immigrants allowed to enter after accession.

The proposed restrictions include imposing the requirement of a work permit for these immigrants, which means that a job offer and employment contract will need to be in place before they would be able to come to the Netherlands.

Currently, the parliamentary majority comprising the Christian Democrat CDA, Liberal VVD and populist LPF are all in favour placing such restrictions on the free movement of workers.

The three parties are worried about the possibility of these immigrants taking jobs from Dutch nationals in light of rising unemployment in the Netherlands.

Other EU countries, such as Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Spain and Finland, have imposed a transition period of two years in closing their borders to immigration from Eastern Europe in order to guard employment levels at home.

The EU has authorised this transition period for current member states despite the fact that the free movement of persons and labour is a cornerstone of EU policy. After this initial two-year period, member states will be able to impose a three-year and then an extra two-year border closure to accession country nationals.

Nevertheless, migration figures reported last week in the Netherlands did not support the claims that migration is significantly on the rise.

The state secretary will officially present his proposal to the Cabinet during its weekly meeting on Friday the 22nd of January.