Latvia concedes to enlargement skeptics

RIGA - As accession negotiations with the European Union continue, Latvia's government has accepted the need for agreements restricting the movement of labor with those states that fear an influx of workers from Central and Eastern Europe. But Lithuania and Estonia have not yet followed suit.

Andris Kesteris, head of the accession negotiating team at Latvia's Foreign Ministry, said agreements restricting labor movement would be established with countries that wanted them on an individual basis, as prescribed by the EU's Council of Ministers in May.

"If some of our near-future partners have psychological and political problems, we have to show understanding and cooperation," he said.

"We have to analyze our real interests, whether the fundamental interests of our population are at stake. This is not that essential for our population."

He downplayed the scale of potential labor movement from Latvia. "Latvia poses no danger to the labor markets of the EU member states. There is very little interest among our population in moving to member states to find jobs."

He added that workers from countries that restrict labor migration from Latvia will be prevented from working in Latvia.

According to a spokeswoman for the European Commission's delegation to Latvia, the Council of Ministers specified that such agreements should be for five years, with an option to review them after two. The maximum duration of restrictions will be seven years.

Three countries - Denmark, Ireland and Sweden - have already said they will not impose restrictions on labor movement from new member states.

Kesteris said "quite a number of countries" might follow their lead by the time it comes to ratifying Latvia's accession.

Recently released findings by the state's Naturalization Board, which conducted a survey in 2000, showed that in the 15 to 30 age group, 9 percent of citizens and 16 percent of Latvia's stateless "non-citizens" are considering leaving the country.

Taavi Toom, spokesman for Estonia's Foreign Ministry, said there was no reason for any country to establish a transition period with Estonia.

"Member states have to look at the situation in each candidate country individually," he said. "We would like them to state their positions clearly.

"With less than a million people in our labor force we don't think Estonia could pose a big threat. It would be difficult to explain to our public why Norway and Iceland, non-EU members, have free movement of labor rights, but Estonians don't. Our labor market is open for citizens of the EU."

Petras Zapolskas, press spokesman at Lithuania's Foreign Ministry, said that subject to any policy changes arising from the formation of a new government, Lithuania also remains opposed to labor movement transition periods. "Ours is not a huge population and most want to live in Lithuania."

Former Prime Minister Guntars Krasts, an MP from Latvia's For Fatherland and Freedom party, said restrictions would hurt educated people wanting to develop their skills in Western Europe, rather than the unskilled laborers the EU is afraid of.

"Our people need to be able to move in order to learn," said Krasts. "Restrictions will not be dangerous for Latvia, but for managers and financial and business consultants they will be a problem and this won't create a good opinion among students."