Netherlands: borders will stay closed until 2012 for Bulgarian and Romanian workers

At the request of the Parliament, the Dutch government decided, on November 27, 2008, to keep the borders closed until 2012 for citizens from Bulgaria and Romania, two countries which joined the EU in 2007. (Ref. 080952)
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Piet Hein
Donner, Minister for Labor and Social Affairs, recommended opening them as
early as January 1, 2009, because of the workforce shortages which threaten
some sectors. The bad economic situation led him to accept
the Parliament’s request. “We could still decide to open the borders before 2012
if we need to” argued Eddy van Heijum, MP from the Christian Democratic Appeal
(CDA), the main party in power. Most parties want to protect employment in the Netherlands,
even though unemployment ke

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