Report by Mehmet Güneş in Frankfurt
European Union (EU) countries like Germany have concerns about the expected high levels of labor migration from Romania and Bulgaria with the expiration of the limits on work permits to the two countries' nationals starting from January 1.
Romanians and Bulgarians will acquire the right to work anywhere in the EU under EU law once the transitional periods of their countries expire at the start of 2014, seven years after they acquired membership in the bloc.
Once both countries joined the EU in 2007, their citizens were first placed under transitional immigration controls to be lifted after seven years.
Having been mildly affected by the EU economic crisis, the world's fourth largest economic power Germany fears that the expected high immigration rates would further increase the country's unemployment rate, while disturbing public safety in general. Germany's unemployment rate currently stands at seven percent.
Meanwhile, NGO Pro-Asyl's Deputy Director Bernd Mesovic said he does not believe work permits will result in a crisis in the country.
“We can see that some 80 percent of the immigrants coming to Germany from Romania and Bulgaria are professional people and the majority of them are qualified employees,” said Mesovic. “It needs to give a chance to these people and I don’t think that the crime rates would increase in Germany.”
German Turks are also expressing concern reagrding the expected immigration from the new EU countries.
“Employers will get more chances to find cheap labor. Most of the people coming from Romania and Bulgaria are unskilled workers,” said Iskender Yurtsever, an accountant working in Germany. “Turkish workers who are in the same category will be affected very negatively.”
Cleaning company director Ozgur Aslan also expects that the incoming laborers will cause a decrease in hourly wages in construction, cleaning and other labor-intensive sectors.
“The unemployment will rise just like when Polish people came in the past, and hourly wages will decrease,” Aslan said.
Some also worry that Bulgarians and Romanians, as EU citizens, will be given priority over Turkish workers in recruitment.
“In recruitment, German citizens come first, then EU citizens and then the citizens of the countries in the accession period,” said Keramettin Yusufi, a Macedonian citizen in Germany. “Turkish people, even though they speak German and have work certificates, will only be preferred in third place.”
An estimated 3-3.5 million Turkish immigrants live in Germany, making them the largest ethnic minority in Germany by accounting for nearly four percent of Germany’s total population.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
