MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on freedom of movement for workers within the European Union (2011/2958(RSP))
13.12.2011
pursuant to Rule 115(5) of the Rules of Procedure
Marian Harkin, Renate Weber, Filiz Hakaeva Hyusmenova on behalf of the ALDE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0727/2011
B7‑0730/2011
European Parliament resolution on freedom of movement for workers within the European Union (2011/2958(RSP))
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its resolution of 25 October 2011[1] on promoting workers’ mobility within the European Union,
– having regard to Articles 21, 45 and 47 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Articles 15, 21, 29, 34 and 45 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights,
– having regard to Article 151 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
– having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 on freedom of movement for workers within the Community, as codified by Regulation (EU) No 492/2011[2],
– having regard to the Commission communication of 6 December 2007 on ‘Mobility, an instrument for more and better jobs: The European Job Mobility Action Plan (2007-2010)’ (COM(2007)0773),
– having regard to the Commission communication of 18 November 2008 on the impact of free movement of workers in the context of EU enlargement (COM(2008)0765),
– having regard to the Commission communication of 13 July 2010 on ‘Reaffirming the free movement of workers: rights and major developments’ (COM(2010)0373),
– having regard to the European Parliament motion for resolution on the transitional arrangements restricting the free movement of workers on EU labour markets,
– having regard to the report from the Commission to the Council on the Functioning of the Transitional Arrangements on Free Movement of Workers from Bulgaria and Romania, COM (2011)729 final,
– having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the identification of outstanding barriers to mobility in the internal labour market,
– having regard to Rules 115(5) and 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the right to live and work in another country of the Union is one of the fundamental freedoms of the EU, a basic component of Union citizenship recognized by the Treaties, yet two of the Member States still face barriers regarding the right to pursue a job on the territory of another Member State;
B. whereas according to recent statistics, at the end of 2010, the mobile workers from Romania and Bulgaria residing on the territory of another Member State represent 0.6% of the total EU population;
C. whereas at the end of 2010 Romanian and Bulgarian workers have brought an increase of 0.3% in GDP the long term for EU-25 and specifically by 1.7% in Spain and 1.3% in Italy;
D. whereas the inflows of Romanian and Bulgarian workers produced positive effects in the markets of the receiving countries as they entered occupations or sectors with labour shortages;
E. whereas the Commission stated in its last communication that Romanian and Bulgarian mobile workers are more likely to be in their economically productive period of their life than the host country nationals, based on the fact that the EU-2 mobile workers under 35 years old represent 65% of the economically active working age, as compared to 34% in the EU-15;
F. whereas recent Eurostat data show that migrant workers from Romania and Bulgaria have no significant effects on the wages and unemployment rates of the host countries;
G. whereas mobility flows are driven mainly by labour demand, and in times of labour supply and demand mismatches at European level, transitional barriers can hamper the economic development of European companies and the right to work and reside on the territory of another Member State;
H. whereas the free movement of workers represents a positive socio-economic example for both the EU and the Member States, being a milestone for EU integration, economic development, social cohesion, individual upgrading at professional level, counteracting the negative effects of economic crisis and creating a stronger economic power that is prepared to face the challenges of global change;
I. whereas the recent evolution of our societies notably due to industrial change, globalization, new work patterns, demographic change and the development of means of transport, call for a higher degree of mobility among workers;
J. whereas, according to the Commission communication of 11 November 2011, mobile workers from Romania and Bulgaria have had a positive impact on the economies of Member States which host mobile workers;
K. whereas migration is a very sensitive political issue in the EU and it is vital to ensure that all European citizens are granted the same rights and responsibilities;
L. whereas the latest communication of the European Commission states that the disturbances on national labour markets are the result of a variety of factors such as the economic and financial crisis and structural labour market problems, not due to inflows of Romanian and Bulgarian workers;
M. whereas Romanian and Bulgarian workers represent only 1% of all unemployed persons (aged 15-64) in the EU compared to 4.1% of the third-country nationals;
N. whereas under the current economic downturn at European level, the remittances send by mobile workers to the home countries can have a net positive effect on the balance of payments of the sending countries;
1. Takes the view that workers mobility in the EU may never be considered as a threat to internal labour markets;
2. Calls on the Member States to abolish the transitional measures in force, given that there are no real economic reasons to restrict the right to work and reside on the territory of another Member State for Romanians and Bulgarians;
3. Calls on the Council to thoroughly consider the latest communication from the European Commission when judging if the transitional barriers are a favourable and necessary measure;
4. Calls on the Commission to propose a clear definition, for the terminology ‘serious disturbances of labour markets’;
5. Calls on the Commission to clarify the indicators and methodology based on economic and social indicators that will prove that there is a clear need to prolong the transitional barriers imposed by Member States as the negative effects on their national labour markets are caused by Romanian and Bulgarian workers;
6. Calls on the Commission to publish in the most transparent way the criteria under which a Member State is allowed to maintain the transitional barriers taking into account the effects of such a decision on the economy of the European Union and on the interpretations accepted by the European Court of Justice when referring to the derogations from the fundamental freedoms;
7. Calls on the Member States to apply the definition, methodology, indicators and criteria when preparing the notifications to the Commission for requesting the introduction or prolongation of transitional barriers;
8. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that labour law is strictly enforced so as to guarantee that all EU workers are treated equally, that there is fair competition among businesses, and that economic and social dumping is prevented;
9. Calls on the EU-25 to consult the two sides of industry as necessary before deciding whether to end or extend transitional arrangements concerning the freedom of movement of workers from Romania and Bulgaria;
10. Calls on the Member States that intend to maintain the restrictions on the labour market for Romanian and Bulgarian workers to present in a clear and transparent way all the socio-economic indicators which led to the conclusion that geographical mobility generates a severe disturbance on their national labour market;
11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States.
- [1] Texts adopted, P7_TA-PROV(2011)0455.
- [2] OJ L 141, 27.5.2011, pp. 1-12.