Labor market restrictions

[GorazdR]

Now that Slovenia joined Eurozone, Trichet called on all Eurozone member states to lift labor market restrictions for Slovene nationals. He said that it is "bizzare" to have in a free market with a single currency with restrictions imposed for one of its members. No country is at risk by Slovenian workers. Labour force in only 1 million strong, with 90% of average GDP per capita of EU.

[Dakkus]

The barriers have no postive effects, because they can be easily avoided using workforce rental companies. However, those barriers do have negative effects.
This has led me into considering such barriers harmful. The only "pro" they provide is based on racism: if you think that your own people are better than others, then it's of course natural to you restricting the possibilities for the other peoples to move to your country. The people from the new(ish) EU countries pose no kind of a threat, but still they "must" be kept away.

Since I strongly oppose the kind of reasoning I have referred to above, I am also for all removals of such idiotic barriers - at least within EU.

It also appears that this idea would lead into automatically removing the barriers when a country joins the Euroland. This is also a positive consequence and thus gets my full support.

Trichet doesn't seem to be an idiot

[ART]

Trichet also has said that Slovenian consumers must supervise on the prices in order to avoid the fraud-rises verified in the states of first adoption. Very important to prevent it.

[tabbs]

Trichet also has said that Slovenian consumers must supervise on the prices in order to avoid the fraud-rises verified in the states of first adoption.

Trichet also referred to, quote, the fact that inflation over the last eight years has been in the euro area significantly lower than in the eight years before the euro ...

Christian

[Ernst]

Dakkus, I dont think you can make a judgement on these barriers that is valid for every Western country. Labour markets have quite different institutions in each country so that potential work migration will have quite different effects, too. In my opinion it is absolutely legitimate for a government to regulate inflows to a countries labour force and it has in itself absolutely nothing to do with racism and xenophobia. Labour markets are an important determinant for the distribution of wealth within a society and especially the degree of competition is of importance. More competition is neither always bad or always good, but in most Europeans countries it is heavily regulated so that it seems, in principle, absolutely natural to regulate migration, too.

[tabbs]

In my opinion it is absolutely legitimate for a government to regulate inflows to a countries labour force and it has in itself absolutely nothing to do with racism and xenophobia.

May well be true. On the other hand, if the government of an EU member state acted this way, that would be a violation of the fundamental right of free movement of workers within the European Union (Article 39 of the EC Treaty). Of course there have always been a few Ifs and Buts when it comes to this right, but those are job specific (e.g. public service), not country specific.

Which is why those "transitional arrangements" (applying to people from some of the "newer" member states in some of the "older" member states and vice versa) are limited to a certain period of time. Now the maximum of seven years seems much too long to me, but fortunately most member states will not apply those limitations that long ...

Christian

[ART]

Dakkus, I dont think you can make a judgement on these barriers that is valid for every Western country. Labour markets have quite different institutions in each country so that potential work migration will have quite different effects, too. In my opinion it is absolutely legitimate for a government to regulate inflows to a countries labour force and it has in itself absolutely nothing to do with racism and xenophobia. Labour markets are an important determinant for the distribution of wealth within a society and especially the degree of competition is of importance. More competition is neither always bad or always good, but in most Europeans countries it is heavily regulated so that it seems, in principle, absolutely natural to regulate migration, too.

The barriers on labour market (European domestic, except temporary special restrictions) are absolutely stupid in a community that it wants to be seriously united, and dangerous, because the European market in general terms is totally integrated and the states are economically interdependent. The domestic barriers to free circulation, residence and job are wrecks of old ages... and threats to our future, because they stretch to create tensions and distortions inside Europe.

[Dakkus]

In my opinion it is absolutely legitimate for a government to regulate inflows to a countries labour force

Why do you think so?