New EU members must be welcomed

I WELCOME recent statements by the Government that Ireland does not plan to restrict access to its labour market when 10 new members join the European Union on May 1.

It is regrettable that this week Britain announced planned restrictions on free movement of workers, leaving Ireland alone among the current 15 member states with equal work rights to citizens of the new member countries.

Ireland is a country with a long history of emigration and we have also gained significantly from our membership of the EU. It would be disgraceful if we were now to deny our new European neighbours the same opportunities that were afforded to us. When the Nice Treaty was rejected in Ireland for the first time, many in the applicant states interpreted the vote as a rejection of enlargement. We now have an opportunity to disprove those views and demonstrate our generosity and welcome.