Most Finnish candidates for EU Parliament open to more free movement of labour

Satu Hassi

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Finnish candidates in the upcoming elections for the European Parliament tend to take a negative view of restrictions on the free movement of labour within the European Union.
      Answers given by candidates to questions in the Vaalikone, or candidate selection machine on the Helsingin Sanomat web site, show that just under half of the candidates oppose the restrictions on labour from new member states, while approximately the same proportion support only limited restrictions. Only 22% are in favour of the present restrictions.
      Finland has imposed a two-year transition period restricting free movement of labour from the new member states.
     
Opponents of the restrictions do not believe that Finland would face huge floods of foreigners, even if the borders were completely open.
      "It has been estimated that only 0.3 million workers would move from the new member states to the old ones, and even they are usually the best highly-skilled professionals, who would benefit the old member states", says candidate Pekka Reinikainen (Christ. Dem.).
      The transition period is also seen to go against basic principles of the EU, while creating inequality among citizens of different member states.
      "Promoting free movement of labour is one of the EU’s central principles. The citizens of the new member states should have the same rights and privileges as the others", writes Elina Moisio (Green).
      "There should be free movement of labour, because the movement of labour will not bring down wages in the countries that receive immigrants, but it will raise wages in the countries that people emigrate from, as studies by the ILO and others indicate", wrote Jan-Mikael Hakomäki (Left Alliance).
     
There are sharp differences between the political parties. None of the Green candidates, and only one candidate of the National Coalition Party were in favour of the restrictions.
      The True Finns and the Social Democrats had the greatest proportion of supporters of restrictions on labour movement.
      Candidates of the National Coalition Party typically said that the restrictions hurt economic growth in the EU.
      Green candidates feared that the restrictions would lead to problems in enforcing laws on labour conditions. Satu Hassi (Green) noted that the restrictions can be averted by bringing in workers through the mediation of temp agencies, making it more difficult to monitor the implementation of labour legislation.
     
Supporters of the restrictions feel that the measure stems the flow of labour coming in to Finland, threatening Finnish jobs and pushing down wages.
      The interim period is seen by some as beneficial for the new member states themselves.
      "The restrictions prevent professionals from leaving the new member states", says Ilkka Taipale (SDP).


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish candidates to European Parliament want EU to be counterbalance to USA (21.5.2004)
  Loophole allows Estonians to work in Finland immediately after EU membership (5.4.2004)

Links:
  Vaalikone - Helsingin Sanomat candidate selection engine (currently available only in Finnish)
  Survey: Estonians expect fair deal on Finnish labour market (29.4.2004)

Helsingin Sanomat