The immigration wave from Central Europe since 2004 brought to the UK skilled, low-cost workforce that boosted the UK economy and “put it in a strong position to cope with growing globalisation”, a committee of peers said as quoted by BBC.

A Lords EU Committee report also said that the UK benefited from its open-door policy towards the countries that joined the EU in 2004. Eastern Europeans helped UK companies to compete against their Asian competitors.

After the EC announced that Bulgaria and Romania would enter the EU on January 1 2007, the UK government imposed restrictions „on the rights of unskilled Bulgarians and Romanians to work in Britain“, BBC said.

The experience of other countries that imposed restrictions in 2004 showed that many migrant workers simply joined the 'black economy', according to BBC.

Britain's main fear is that the inexpensive labour of Eastern Europeans will threaten locals' jobs. The concept of the Balkan countries as politically unstable, poor and suffering organised crime increased this fear.