EU Observer : Polish workers hurl protests at French embassy
This, I think clearly shows that both old and new EU members can profit from the enlargement, but so far the fears have been that the new, poorer member states steal the jobs in richer countries, while the facts have been that Western European companies have been the ones to profit a lot from the enlargement. French companies invest massively in Poland, selling their own products, while few Poles have come to France.
It is only natural, as it is easier for a big company to invest abroad than for a low-paid manual worker to move in a foreign country where life is expensive and the language different. The Portuguese and the Greeks have not rushed to Northern Europe when their country joined the EU, and it is unlikely that Eastern European, speaking even more diffrent languages, would do so now. The UK is probably the first destination for migrants as English has become the most widespread language learnt at school in Eastern Europe.
EU Observer said:Polish tourist offices in recent weeks have been trying to make light of French fears that Polish workers will come and steal their jobs - publishing pictures of sexy plumbers and nurses with slogans such as "I am waiting for you in Poland".
Rzeczpospolita quotes French economists Vincent Aussiloux and Michael Pajot, who said French exporters have created 150,000 extra jobs in France on the back of higher sales to central Europe after enlargement, while enlargement has cost just 5,000 jobs in France so far.
They added that French supermarket owners in new member states tend to employ French managers and stuff shelves with French products.
French firms are the largest foreign investors in Poland, which suffers an unemployment rate double that of France at around 20 percent.
This, I think clearly shows that both old and new EU members can profit from the enlargement, but so far the fears have been that the new, poorer member states steal the jobs in richer countries, while the facts have been that Western European companies have been the ones to profit a lot from the enlargement. French companies invest massively in Poland, selling their own products, while few Poles have come to France.
It is only natural, as it is easier for a big company to invest abroad than for a low-paid manual worker to move in a foreign country where life is expensive and the language different. The Portuguese and the Greeks have not rushed to Northern Europe when their country joined the EU, and it is unlikely that Eastern European, speaking even more diffrent languages, would do so now. The UK is probably the first destination for migrants as English has become the most widespread language learnt at school in Eastern Europe.