Only four EU member countries have opted to open their labour markets from today to workers from countries who joined the bloc in 2004.
Greece, Portugal, Spain and Finland announced today that they would join Ireland, the UK and Sweden who opened up their borders from May 1 2004, when 10 new member states joined.
However, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria will retain restrictions amid domestic concerns about the economic impact on workers of allowing unrestricted access across borders to relatively cheap labour from eastern and central Europe.
Germany and Austria in particular insist they would face an unsustainable influx of migrant workers from Poland, Hungary and elsewhere if they fully applied the EU's laws on the free movement of workers.
The other eight, including the largest economies and the wealthiest countries, are taking up the option of maintaining full or partial restrictions until 2009, or until at least next year in the case of the Netherlands.
France, Luxembourg and Belgium say they are easing procedures for admitting workers from the new member states into some sectors. The situation is still seen as undermining one of the basic principles of the EU, risking the creation of a two-tier European Union.
Austria and Germany insist that they are protecting domestic markets until economic standards rise in the neighbouring new member states and remove the danger of being overrun by a flood of cheap labour.
EU Employment Commissioner Vladimir Spidla said the fact that some were now making concessions was a positive. He said: "I am convinced that this move will be to the great benefit of European workers and economy alike.
"It will give a strong impetus to those member states that have kept restrictions and I hope that they will gradually lift restrictions in the coming years."