EU Services Directive

While most Czech newspapers express their disappointment with the watered-down version of the services directive passed by the European Parliament and blame the Western European states, the financial paper takes a more differentiated view: "The advocates of full liberalisation of the market for services say it could lead to the creation of 600,000 new jobs in the EU. A few dozen Czech trade unionists did their best to prevent this by taking a luxury excursion to Strasbourg to demonstrate against the measure. They claim they fear the country will be swamped by Bulgarian and Romanian craftsmen. However, even if this should turn out to be the case, what have the Czech trade unions got to do with it? Craftsmen are not union members. People say the Czechs have golden hands and can repair anything. They don't say that about the Bulgarians and the Romanians. The Czech Republic won't be swamped."

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