Restricted access - State must fulfil duty to immigrants

BY ANY yardstick, the Government’s decision not to allow free access to the Irish labour market for migrants from Romania and Bulgaria after they join the EU goes against the spirit of the Euro club.

Arguably, however, the Republic had little choice since Britain declared it would restrict their entry. As the only other English-speaking state in the EU, Ireland would trigger a flood of migration through an open door policy.

Organised crime and corruption flourish in Bulgaria and Romania. But according to Enterprise Minister Micheál Martin, the decision to introduce work permits stemmed from the huge inflow of migrants after 10 states joined the EU in 2004.