UK Will Limit Romanian and Bulgarian Immigrants

U.K. Home Secretary John Reid gavehis strongest hint yet that Britain will limit immigration fromBulgaria and Romania, which are awaiting decisions on plans tojoin the European Union next year.                

“We need to manage immigration carefully, including inrespect of the forthcoming decisions over Romania and Bulgaria,”Reid said in a speech to police officials in Cheshire, northernEngland, today. “We need to consider very carefully all theimplications of accession of new states and ensure that we haveall necessary safeguards in place.”         

The European Commission will decide on Sept. 26 whether torecommend admitting Romania and Bulgaria to the EU as planned inJanuary 2007. The Home Office would have to decide after that whatimmigration controls it would impose on those nations.         

Reid’s remarks reflect concern within Prime Minister TonyBlair’s government that immigration is putting strains on U.K.schools and hospitals and driving up unemployment. Britainalready is struggling to absorb 600,000 workers added after 10nations including Poland and Hungary joined the EU in 2004. Click here.

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