Germany: the minister of economy wants to open the labour market to East European workers before 2011

Flexibility for non-EU labour. At present workers from East European member states can work in Germany only on a temporary basis. Officially this situation will end in 2009 at the earliest and by 2011 at the latest. Regarding “ex-EU” workers, they come under the immigration law and can obtain a work permit only if they justify an annual wage of at least 85,000 €. Several members of Mrs Merkel’s conservative party have supported Mr Glos’ proposal. Some raise the possibility of lowering the wage barrier to 60,000 €. Others want to condition the hiring of a worker on the hiring of a German worker. For Wolfgang Bosbach, Vice-President of the conservative parliamentary group CDU/CSU, in 2006 only a thousand people met the wage criteria required: “I do not worry about them replacing Germans, he stated. The confederation of German unions ( DGB) opposes categorically all such measures, recalling that, despite the brighter economic outlook and the decline in unemployment, there are still 4 million unemployed in Germany. 
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rkel’s conservative party have supported Mr Glos’ proposal. Some raise the possibility of lowering the wage barrier to 60,000 €. Others want to condition the hiring of a worker on the hiring of a German worker. For Wolfgang Bosbach, Vice-President of the conservative parliamentary group CDU/CSU, in 2006 only a thousand people met the wage criteria required: “I do not worry about them replacing Germans, he stated. The confederation of German unions ( DGB) opposes categorically all such measures,

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