Declaration of the Prague Summit of the Presidents of the Parliaments of the V4 Countries

 

 

having engaged in a thorough debate and having heard the presentation of the Member of the European Commission for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Mr Vladimír Špidla, the Presidents and Vice-Presidents of Parliaments of V4 countries

 

1. Call on the governments of their countries to further their ongoing efforts to eliminate restrictions in free movement of labour;
2. Appeal to the governments of those Member States who have not already done so to open their labour markets to workers from new Member States at the end of the first two-year period, i.e. as of 1 May 2006;
3. Note that citizens of new Member States attach great importance to free movement of labour as one of the four freedoms fundamental for the future of the European Union;
4. Remind that the side effect of keeping transitional periods may be growth of black and grey economies, and therefore, they may paradoxically have a negative impact on the labour market;
5. Emphasize that predicted labour market failures have not been confirmed in any country that chose not to apply the transitional period; quite to the contrary, improvements have been noted in some areas; thus full liberalization of the movement of labour in the European Union will be advantageous for all EU member states;
6. Appreciate the attitude of Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom who were the only ones to open their labour markets to workers from new Member States as of their accession to the EU on 1 May 2004;
7. Welcome the attitude of those member states that have considered liberalizing their labour markets as of 1 May 2006;
8. Wish to continue discussing the EU's future development and orientation, while believing it is appropriate to focus on the core principles and roots on which the EU is founded.