ABSTRACT
The accession of eight new Central and Eastern European countries (eu8) 2 to the eu in May 2004 and the subsequent accession of Romania and Bulgaria in January 2007 (eu2) marked an important step in the history of European integration. It reunited a continent divided since the Second World War. An important consequence was the extension of the free movement of capital, goods, services and people to Central and Eastern Europe. European law guarantees these freedoms within the eu – in principle. However, in light of the large differences in wages, for example, there were fears of a massive influx of workers from the new Member States with expected negative impacts on the receiving countries’ labour markets (and welfare systems). As a result, all but three countries (the United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden) made use of socalled transi tional measures in 2004. These transitional measures restricted – to varying degrees – the right to work for eu8 citizens in eu15 countries for a period of up to seven years.
