„Spain’s decision to restrict labor market access for Romanians will be made by the end of this week, when Madrid notifies Brussels and the other European capitals,” RFI Romania noted, adding the jobless rate in Spain has reached 20%.
According to data from the Labor and Immigration Ministry in Spain, about 850,000 Romanians lived in Spain at the end of 2010.
Labor restrictions will not be applicable to Romanians who already work in Spain because the measure cannot be applied retroactively. However, Romanians wishing to start work in Spain will have to apply for a work permit.
Spain is one of the few western European countries to open a wide part of its labor market to Romanians when Romania entered the European Union in 2007. The Spanish labor market was fully opened to Romanians starting January 1, 2009.