Commissioner Rehn pleased with results of EU enlargement
Fears of flood of immigration prove to be unfounded
Olli Rehn
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The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Finland’s Olli Rehn, is pleased with the results of last year’s enlargement of the European Union. Speaking at a press conference in Brussels on Friday, Rehn said that none of the fears that preceded the move have materialised.
"The enlargement has been successful for both the old and new member states", Rehn told reporters.
Most old EU countries imposed an interim period before citizens of the new member states would have unrestricted access to their labour markets. The United Kingdom, Sweden, and Ireland did not impose a transitional period. At least the UK did not experience any massive flood of immigrants.
The European Commission reports that the British unemployment rate is 4.7%, and that the share of citizens of new EU countries in the British workforce is 0.4%.
Rehn notes that immigrants from the new EU countries have benefited the British economy by easing shortages of restaurant and hotel staff, health care personnel, and agricultural workers.
"There were also warnings in Finland that 400,000 Estonians might try to find work there after they become members. The number that came is just a few percent of this. The same thing happened in the 1980s when Portugal became a member; at that time restrictions were placed on the freedom of movement, but they were soon seen to be unnecessary", Olli Rehn says.
However, the "big bang" enlargement was not completely painless. The new member states have run up against what they see as selfishness on the part of the old members. Meanwhile, there have been fears in the old EU member countries that the new members pose a threat. For instance, in France Polish plumbers have been a major cause for concern.
Rehn concedes that "European thinking" is currently in short supply in the EU, and that this could lead to a tendency to blame Brussels for everything. He cites as examples the rows over increased Chinese textile imports and the EU service directive.
"In a way this is normal, and it is what we are paid for. But if this goes too far - as has been the case recently - it will erode the credibility of the whole European project. People in the member states should think very carefully about this", Rehn warns.
Commissioner Rehn sees the worries in the old member states about the enlargement plans as a reflection of the poor economic situation. In his view, citizens who are uncertain about their own future have taken EU enlargement as a scapegoat.
"Uncertainty about the future has found a political channel to rise to the surface. Unfortunately one of the phenomena has been the enlargement blues. However, enlargement fatigue is unfounded, as the whole EU has benefited from it", he says.
In the European Parliament, Finnish MEP Paavo Väyrynen (Centre) says that during the past year, Europarliamentarians representing the new member states have been given more leeway in the Parliament than their numbers would justify.
"The arrival of the countries of Eastern Europe has also been seen in tougher attitudes toward Russia", Väyrynen says.
The same phenomenon has been noted by Finland’s Ambassador to the EU, Eikka Kosonen. However, he also says that surprisingly little has actually changed. "Now there are just more people at the table", Ambassador Kosonen says.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 2.5.2005 - TODAY |
 Commissioner Rehn pleased with results of EU enlargement
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