France is to relax its restrictions on workers from eight new European Union countries with priority to those sectors where labour was in short supply, it confirmed today.
Authorities have to take a decision by May 1 about how much to open up its market to labour from the new European states.
The French authorities will go ahead with a progressive and controlled lifting of restrictions on the free flow of workers coming from eight countries that joined the EU in 2004," said a statement from Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin's office.
"Priority will be given to sectors where there are recruitment pressures."
Britain, Ireland and Sweden have allowed workers from the 10 EU newcomers - mostly east European ex-communist states - since they joined the bloc in May 2004. Other countries kept restriction for an initial period of two years.
Many people in old EU countries blame enlargement for high unemployment and stagnant economic growth. In France, "the Polish plumber" has become a symbol of somebody willing to work for little, undermining the country's social model.
France said the method of lifting the restrictions would be discussed with the country's powerful trade unions.
The Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia joined the EU in 2004, adding about 75 million citizens and taking the enlarged bloc's population to 454 million.
France is already open to workers from Cyprus and Malta.