Kavan: Czechs still opposed to EU block on workforce movement

At an EU conference in Nykoping in Sweden, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kavan has reiterated Czech opposition to a transition period for the free movement of labour after EU expansion. There is great concern in Germany and Austria in particular that following EU enlargement they will suffer a massive influx of cheap labour from post-Communist candidate countries such as the Czech Republic. German and Austrian leaders have therefore called for a transition period of up to seven years after expansion, whereby workers from candidate countries would not be able to seek jobs in current member states. Mr Kavan repeated Czech objections to the proposal on Sunday, saying that it could slow down the expansion process. The foreign minister also warned that this could have a negative psychological impact on the Czech people, and that it could be abused by Euro-sceptics.