T he G erm an d eb ate ab out th e free mo vem en tofwo rkers fro m

T he G erm an d eb ate ab out th e free mo vem en tofwo rkers fro m

The German debate about the free
movement of workers from Poland and
the EU8
Kristin Schwarz
FG EU-Integration
growing fear in the „old“ member states of a huge
number of workers from the EU8 states entering
their labor markets
most of the EU 15 states enacted restrictions
only Great Britain, Ireland and Sweden allowed free
access
2+3+2 rules could only be extended in 2009 in the
case of severe disturbances in the labor markets
A heated discussion was sparked
The German debate about the free movement of workers
FG EU-Integration
on the situation in the labor market
on the welfare state
on security issues
on foreign affairs
The impact of immigration
Features of German debates on
migration issues
The German debate about the free movement of workers
FG EU-Integration
1) The fear of a mass movement of “cheap”
workers from the EU8 to the German labor
market
2) The German industry needs immigrants to fill
skill shortages
Two sets of problems:
The economic dimension
The German debate about the free movement of workers
FG EU-Integration
Fear of an aggravation of the social climate if the not
well-educated immigrate in large numbers
The not well-educated will immigrate into Germany
Assumption of the German government :
Social issues
The German debate about the free movement of workers
FG EU-Integration
These topics are not obsolete, but they were in focus
in conjunction with the discussion about the abolition
of the border control
Security questions play a minor role:
Security Policy issues
The German debate about the free movement of workers
FG EU-Integration
Aggravation of the Polish-German relationship
The European Commission recommended to
abolish all restrictions
Foreign and European dimension
The German debate about the free movement of workers
FG EU-Integration
Which scenario will become reality when
Germany finally opens its labor market can not
yet be predicted
The topics discussed in the current debate are
mainly in line with previous discussions
Conclusion
The German debate about the free movement of workers
FG EU-Integration
Thank You!