Will Romanians and Bulgarians want to work in Latvia?

There are manpower shortages in many of Latvia's economic sectors, and the advantages and disadvantages of immigration have become the subject of heated debate. Aivars Ozolins calls for the country to open its labour market to Bulgarians and Romanians, who will soon become EU members. But do they want to come to Latvia? "Higher salaries are just one of many factors that induce workers to look for work abroad. Language skills, geographical proximity and cultural ties are also important factors. Today, there are already large numbers of Bulgarians and Romanians living in Italy, Spain and Greece, and it's unlikely they will change direction and come north following accession to the EU. Nonetheless, legal immigration is better than the illegal immigration which results from restrictions. Latvia need not fear a massive influx of Bulgarian mechanics and construction workers. On the contrary, there's little hope that our increasing shortage of manpower will be alleviated by immigration from other EU countries."

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