Over half of Germans skeptical over Poland in the EU

A recent opinion poll by the Emnid institute found 52% of Germans believe EU enlargement will bring them disadvantages. In dozens of small German towns along the German-Polish border, where the unemployment rate is above 20% and the population has halved in the last decade, those fears are particularly strongly expressed. "The prices are just so different, the systems are so different, everything is going to go kaput," said a border guard. The outdated stereotypes have contributed to angst that low-cost Polish labour will drive even more Germans out of work once Poland joins the EU. (Reuters) M.M.