EU hails plans to open labour markets to newest members

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso welcomed on Wednesday plans by Finland, Portugal and Spain to open their labour markets to workers from the European Union's newest members.

The three countries said recently that they would drop restrictions on workers from the eight post-communist countries that joined the European Union in May 2004 along with Malta and Cyprus.

Until now Britain, Ireland and Sweden have been the only old EU countries to embrace workers from the new members, and other countries have until the end of April to decide if they too would give up restrictions.

"The (European) Commission welcomes the recent announcement that Finland, Portugal and Spain will join Ireland, United Kingdom and Sweden in lifting such restrictions on the free movement of workers," Barroso told the European Parliament.

"I look forward to more countries joining the club!" he added.

The restrictions on workers from the new member states have included demands for work permits -- which some countries limit with quotas -- but do not apply to workers from Cyprus or Malta, which joined the bloc on the same day.

The measures are supposed to be phased out over a seven-year period, with the first of the three phases due to end on April 30, as EU states are not allowed to discriminate against workers on the basis of nationality.