Fears over fresh wave of immigrants dismissed

FEARS of a huge wave of immigrants from the new European Union countries were dismissed as unfounded by the Brussels Commission yesterday.

A report issued by the commission showed that about 220,000 people a year from the new member states are likely to move to the existing 15 if the borders were open to them.

But there are no fears that the full 220,000 will move to the two countries after May 1, according to Dr Hubert Krieger, who carried out the study and works with the EU Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.