Ireland closed to ‘new EU’ migrant workers for 3 years

IRELAND had the second highest inflow of immigrants per head of population in the EU in the heady days of a booming construction industry two years ago.

But with unemployment rising, the Government has indicated it will not open up the country to workers from the EU’s newest members, Romania and Bulgaria, for another three years.

In 2004, Ireland was one of just three countries that gave free access to workers from the countries that joined the EU, and together with Britain, received most of them.