Access Investments-European Union- ROMANIA

Is it a matter of wanting the cake and eating it too? If you haven't lived/worked in any particular country, you should not be entitled to any social benefits. This is not a matter of Germany being a fortress; this is a matter of Germany defending its sovereignty. Just picture poor people from all over Europe flooding Germany. Brussels is a bureaucratic dictatorship - more like a straight jacket.

It is always interesting to note the use of the pejorative word ‘populist’ when tempers flare. The writer, and the publication that prints his article, both have strong and similar views on the matter under discussion. They use the loaded term ‘populist’ so that the merits of the view they oppose may be rubbished without too much effort. It may be helpful to remind “Spiegel Staff” that what they scornfully call populism is also known as democracy. This is a form of government that enables general opinion to be taken into account. It is invariably praised by those who seek the vote of the population at large at events known as elections. I believe it is also associated with the concept of accountability.

With the EU accession of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007, travel visa restrictions were lifted.

• Citizens of the two countries were still required to obtain work permits to gain employment in Germany. In order to obtain the permit, a Romanian or Bulgarian national had to have a concrete job offer and the ability to prove that no domestic workers could do the same job.
• Romanian and Bulgarian companies were free to offer their services in Germany, meaning they could send workers to the country to fullfil contract work. Exceptions included the construction and industrial cleaning industries.
• Limits were also removed for the self-employed. The outcome of this is that Romanians and Bulgarians often work in excluded sectors like construction or industrial cleaning as freelancers in situations in which German law actually requires that such workers become full-fledged employees. They often earn low wages and in some cases apply for supplementary welfare benefits from the government to help make ends meet. Others work under the table and do not register with the authorities.
• In some economic sectors, the requirement of a work permit was lifted for Bulgarian and Romanian nationals in 2012. Starting that year, college graduates, trainees and seasonal workers in industries like catering and restaurants no longer had to obtain work permits for employment in Germany.

In 2014, all citizens of Bulgaria and Romania were granted full access to Germany's labor market. This means that nationals of these countries can be employed in any industry in Germany. In many cases, however, companies continue to try to hire citizens of these EU countries as pseudo self-employed workers because it is cheaper than bringing them on as staff.