Much of the debate surrounding the free movement of labour in the EU follows the theory that richer countries will face an influx of immigrants seeking higher wages. Ukip ran with this idea when they stoked fear among the British public about the mass arrival of 1 million Romanians and Bulgarians coming to the UK to live and work after the controls were lifted on January 1st 2014 – a prophecy which never quite came to fruition.
But one thing that is not often considered is that freedom of movement can be advantageous for those who want to make the journey in the opposite direction. Bulgaria is one of the EU’s poorest countries, having defaulted on its debt in 1990 after the fall of Communism, and suffered a severe financial crisis between 1996-1997; but last year, it was estimated that around 18,000 Britons have moved to Bulgaria to set up lives for themselves. Especially for those who want to retire, making the move from the UK to Bulgaria means they can get much more spacious houses, lower heating and electricity bills, and generally enjoy a much lower cost of living.
With all the economic turmoil in Greece over the past few years, thousands of businesses have moved to Bulgaria, with which it shares a border. This goes to show that the free movement of labour in the EU can function positively in multiple directions, opening up economic opportunities for those who want to earn more, for those who want their pay to go further, and for those who need a refuge in times of crisis, like Greece. In the current climate Bulgaria has proved to be an attractive location for both residents and businesses.
With the possibility of Greece crashing out of the euro going from being an increasingly vivid nightmare scenario to a real possibility over the past few weeks, the troubled country’s EU membership has also been called into question. But although Greece’s role in the euro eventually paralysed its economy, at least for the moment its EU membership and the free movement of labour offers some flexibility for its businesses and citizens, who would otherwise face complete isolation.
