Großbritannien behält Hürden für rumänische, bulgarische Arbeiter bei[en] 

Of the then 15 EU members, only the UK, Ireland and Sweden opened their labour markets to the bloc's Eastern newcomers (Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Slovenia) upon their accession on 1 May 2004. 

Greece, Finland, Italy, Spain and Portugal lifted their restrictions on these countries in 2006, Luxembourg and the Netherlands did so in 2007. France followed in 2008, and Belgium and Denmark on 1 May 2009. 

Austria and Germany kept the restrictions in place after May 2009, leading the Czech EU Presidency to criticise Vienna and Berlin for what they called an "unjustified" decision to maintain labour restrictions five years after the 2004 enlargement wave. 

Additional restrictions are in place for Bulgaria and Romania, which joined the Union in 2007. 

After a sharp drop in the emigration trend from Bulgaria during the period 2002-2006, a new tendency to leave the country was reported, mostly among professionally unqualified young people between 20-29 years of age (EurActiv 27/11/09). 

As for Romania, some 60 Roma from this country living in Italy have sparked resentment in the Mediterranean country. The Romanian authorities also voiced concerns that resentment against Roma will affect law-abiding Romanians living in Italy (EurActiv 24/02/09). 

In each of the next two years, Britain will admit just under 25,000 low-skilled Bulgarians and Romanians to work under a quota system in agriculture and the food processing industry, Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said in a statement to parliament. 

Britain imposed the limits when Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union in 2007, and renewed them in December last year under EU rules allowing it to do so for up seven years. 

"Given the current labour market situation, it is important that we continue to give weight to the need to protect the interests of the resident workforce," Woolas said. "The restrictions [...] will continue until the end of 2011." 

The severe recession in Britain pushed up unemployment by 88,000 to 2.469 million in the three months to August, leaving the jobless rate at 7.9 percent on an international measure. 

The high level of unemployment is a problem for Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whose party lags in the polls at most seven months before a national election. 

Britain was the only big EU country to let citizens of new member states work without restriction when eight central and eastern European countries joined in 2004. 

High immigration into Britain in recent years has fuelled resentment in some cities, giving a boost to the far-right British National Party, which won its first seats in the European Parliament in a June election. 

EU members can limit the inflow of Bulgarian and Romanian workers until 31 December 2011, and for a further two years if lifting it would cause a "serious disturbance" to the labour market. 

A maximum of 21,250 agricultural workers from Romania and Bulgaria will be allowed to enter Britain each year, plus a further 3,500 people to fill food processing jobs, the Daily Mail writes. 

The same article quotes Home Secretary Alan Johnson, who admitted that the government had mishandled immigration and placed a 'strain' on jobs and services.