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Belgium Extends Labor Restrictions For Romanians, Bulgarians

The Belgian federal Government decided Friday to extend by three years, until December 31, 2009, the restrictions imposed on Romanians and Bulgarians on the labor market, said a press release issued by the Government in Brussels.
Belgium Extends Labor Restrictions For Romanians, Bulgarians
05 dec. 2008, 20:43, English

The Government will be able, through a legal order, to cease this interval of restrictions before 2011, according to the press release.

Belgium was one of the EU countries to impose restrictions to Romanian and Bulgarian citizens over a period of two years when the two states acceded to the community bloc  on January 1, 2007. Romanians currently need a labor permit in order to legally work in Belgium.
 
Two years into the latest EU enlargement, the EU member states can extend these temporary regulations, referring to the access of new EU members to the labor market, for another three years. Later, they can decide to apply these restrictions for another two years – bringing the total timeframe to seven years since Romania’s and Bulgaria’s accessions to the EU.
 
According to the Government sources quoted by De Tijd, the Council of Ministers in Brussels will decide Friday whether to extend the restrictions until January 1, 2012.
 
The Belgian Government is not obligated to explain the decision except for a second (and final) extension. However, Government circles keep mentioning the imminent economic recession, which would justify protection measures on the labor market.