Europe Immigration News

In a recent interview, Romanian President Traian Basescu said that he expects a potentially large wave of immigration from neighboring Moldova because of Romania's recent accession to the European Union. He said the only way to avoid such a trend was to give Moldovan citizens "a European perspective," meaning hope of EU membership for their country in the future.

This week the European Union and the United States began to open discussions and negotiations, again, in an attempt to resolve concerns about privacy and use of sensitive personal data of individuals traveling between the regions.

In summary

Health and safety at work, training and working conditions were just some of the subjects up for discussion last week when MEPs (Members of European Parliament) met the directors of four European Union Agencies. They were in front of Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee to set out their plans for 2007. The overall aim is to improve the employment conditions of millions of workers across the EU.

Training

European Union solutions for immigration problems must take into account Malta's size, its limited resources and the fact that it is responsible for a vast search and rescue area disproportionate to its territory, German Ambassador Karl Andreas von Stenglin said last week.

The Ambassador was outlining the plans of the forthcoming EU Presidency, currently held by his country, at a public dialogue meeting organized by the German embassy and Forum Malta fl-Ewropa.

European Union employment and social affairs ministers met for a three-day informal summit in Berlin to discuss the future of social models in Europe and the reforms necessary to reconcile needs for flexibility and social security.

Luxembourg, a major financial hub of Europe, has hinted it would ease visa restrictions for Indian professionals in specific areas of employment.

"We will look at relaxing visa rules in specific sectors," said Luxembourg's Economic Minister Jeann Krecke. His statement was in response to criticism from visiting Indian journalists who pointed out that the overall visa regime in Europe was not friendly toward movement of Indian professionals, particularly in the Information Technology sector.