Proposes to repeal restrictions for Bulgaria and Romania

The Norwegian Government has proposed a bill to repeal the restrictions for workers from Bulgaria and Romania. Workers from the two countries will have the same access to the Norwegian labour market as workers from other EEA countries already have.                                                                     

Today, Bulgarians and Romanians must apply for permission to work, while other EEA nationals from countries outside the Nordic countries only need to register. The restrictions do not seem to have inhibited Norwegian employers from recruiting the labour they have needed. At the same time they have helped to ensure workers decent wages and working conditions. 

Norway can only extend the transitional arrangements if the authorities can show that repeal will lead to serious disturbances on the labour market. Norway is currently experiencing low unemployment, and employment is high compared with other countries. There are currently no signs of serious disturbance in the Norwegian labour market. 

Figures from Statistics Norway and The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Directorate shows that immigration from Bulgaria and Romania is moderate. People from these countries differs not from people from other EU countries in Eastern Europe in terms of employment rates, unemployment and the use of family-related benefits. 

Denmark, Finland and Sweden have no restrictions on access to their national labour markets to people from Bulgaria and Romania.