Sat, Nov 21 2009
Photo: Julia Lazarova
The clear margin in favour of extending the EU's migrant labour pact is a sharp repudiation of the far-right's message. Some commentators, including Bulgaria's former ambassador to Switzerland, had criticised a campaign poster purporting to show Bulgaria and Romania as greedy ravens.
The number of European Union countries without restrictions on Bulgarians and Romanians has risen to 14 after Hungary and Portugal opened their labour markets to nationals of the two Balkan countries, a media statement from the European Commission said on January 8 2009.
Some time in early 2009, the European Council - made up of the heads of state and government of EU countries and the president of the European Commission - will debate going ahead with Europe's Blue Card scheme, which is meant to attract highly skilled immigrants to jobs in the EU in sectors where there are skills shortages. Often described as an answer the United States Green Card system, the Blue Card proposal went one step further on November 20 when it was approved by a majority in the European Parliament.
Welcomed by the UK government, France and Germany, as well as the US, the naming of Belgium’s Herman van Rompuy as European Council President and Catherine Ashton as foreign policy chief has caused misgivings in some circles, including Turkey which believes that Van Rompuy will oppose Turkish membership of the bloc.
The dinner meeting of EU leaders to decide on the European Council President and the bloc’s new foreign minister and head of secretariat could take a few hours or all night, says host Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sweden’s prime minister.
Russia and the European Union have agreed on an early warning system if another natural gas cutoff looms. Some say that Bulgaria, among other countries hard-hit by the January 2009 crisis, is now better prepared. Not everyone is convinced.
Five Bulgarian films screened at the World Film Festival in Bangkok.
A complicated game, played partly in the dark, and with elements of everything from poker to tug ‘o war – that’s the way Europe’s leaders will come up with its new European Council President, foreign minister and European Commission.
They are mostly Gypsies. For people who want to work here (in Romania), there are enough well-paid working-places. The Gypsies want only to steal and beg, they don't like to work. But I don't want them to return in my country, let them stay in your country, give them citizenship and be happy.
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Bulgarians and Romanians cannot be illegal immigrants in Ireland - they may be working illegally, but they have every right to be there. If they are self-employed, then they do need to register with the tax authorities as they need to pay their taxes, but there is no requirement in EU Law for them to register with the immigration authorities. The UK authorities did this and many people - who were legitimately self-employed paid the £1 000.00 fine, which they need not have done
Criss i agree about human rights that was not the issue. I do not have a problem with genuine people trying for a better life but if we are all part of the EU why should we have to take in all the scroungers so i still say shut the UK and Irish borders i agree with Cosmos on this we need more BNP.
Why should we have to take care of Roma Gypsies that are smuggled into Ireland or the UK they even send there pregnant children as young as 12yrs. If you are really concerned i will send them to your house and you feed them. These people are not in the UK or Ireland to work but to steal,scrounge,pick your pockets on the tube. So i will say again well done to UKIP & THE BNP the people have spoken.
this is discrimination..where are the human rights?!..we all should have same rights as we are in the same Europe..
r u all mad, there are more then just gypsies working in this country!!!!!! many of them get nothing when they come here only the jobs that the irish seem to believe there too good for!! do you all forget so soon that it was once the irish who went to other countries for a better life, where we then also scroungers!?? people should be given the chance, not all of them are bad, and with the way our country is at the moment it wont be long till your children will be moving away for a better life, i hope they get treated better then how u all treat the "undesirables"
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How you dear???
More than 50% of those people have higher degrees and yet accepted the lowest jobs, jobs that were never desired by the nationals..And still aren't desired as the benefits their getting without having to lift a finger are bigger than most of the payments those "foreigners", still EU citizens, receive.
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When will the UK adopt this stance ,keep up the good work Ireland.