France to relax employment restriction for Poles

In about 18 months time Poles will most likely be allowed to work freely in France and few other "old" EU states. Rzeczpospolita has leant that the French government is about to begin to open its labor market. "The French Labor Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry are working on removing the need for work permits for seasonal work. This will be the first step towards full market liberalization," stressed Patrick Kluczński from the French embassy in Warsaw. The Polish government welcomed the news as, "It is a good sign that other countries also intend to remove barriers for Polish workers. I am surprised that France wants to do it in about 18 months time," said Deputy Economy Minister Piotr Kulpa. He added that currently he could not reveal which other countries intend to relax their labor regulations but he said they are likely to do it before France does. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, A4) M.M.