Working in Europe
Each EU citizen has the right to seek employment in other Member States at the same conditions as the citizens of these countries. That means that during the recruitment of foreigners who are EU citizens, discriminatory requirements must not be applied. However, it does not mean that in certain cases the requirements for work experience or to speak the language of the host country shall not be valid.
Recognition of diplomas
The access to the single labour market is facilitated by series of Directives (amended or supplemented by Directive 2005/36/EC 
[2 MB] in force from 20.10.2007) regulating the mutual recognition of professional qualifications of the so called non-regulated professions (those which require specific qualification proved by the relevant diploma or certificate). Sector specific Directives regulate the automatic recognition of diplomas of doctors ( Directive 93/16/CEE), nurses ( Directive 77/452/CEE), pharmaceutics ( Directive 85/433/CEE), dentists ( Directive 78/686/CEE), architects ( Directive 85/384/CEE) etc. According to the general principle, each qualification acquired in a Member State that gives access to the labour market in this country shall be automatically recognised on the territory of all other Member States in so far as they comply with a minimum of obligatory requirements set out in the relevant Directives.
Unemployment benefits
In cases where the right to receive unemployment benefits depends on the coverage of determined insurance periods, the working periods in one or more Member States also has to be taken into account.
Usually, before applying for unemployment benefits it is necessary to have worked in the country where you are applying. Besides, the rules on unemployment benefits of the host country shall be applied.
If you are an unemployed person and you wish to seek a job in another Member State of the EU, you have the right to receive unemployment benefits paid by Bulgaria up to three months after the date on which you left the country, under the following conditions ( Regulation 1408/71/EC):
- You must have received unemployment benefits at least for the last four weeks in Bulgaria;
- You have to receive the document E-303 from the competent institution in Bulgaria;
- You have to register at the employment office in the host country within seven days from the date on which you arrived;
- You have to respect the procedures of the host country.
You will lose the right to social assistance in Bulgaria if you return to Bulgaria after the expiry of the period of three months.
Pension rights
In each country where you have been insured your insurance rights are preserved until you reach pension age, i.e. contributions, which have been paid, shall not be transferred in other Member State or sent back to the insured person, provided the person has not already been insured in this country.
Each Member State in which you were insured at least for one year has to pay you pension in proportion of the period in which you were insured. If you were insured for long you will receive relatively “high” pension ( Regulation 1408/71/EO).
Transitional measures for Bulgarian citizens
Bulgarian citizens cannot yet benefit from the full range of their rights on the common labour market in EU. Under a clause of the Annex to the Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU [454 KB] , a transition period is introduced for maximum 7 years with effect from the day of the accession of our country to the Union during which the other Member States are free to impose measures at national level to reduce the access of work force from Bulgaria to their labour markets. Most often these measures consist in the requirement to have a work permit. These restrictions were in force also for the new 10 Member States which joined the EU in 2004 and apply to employees but not to self-employed.
In the end of 2008, the Commission will draw up a report on the basis of which the Council will revise the functioning of the transitory measures. Besides, each of the 25 Member States will have to inform officially the Commission whether it intends to continue to implement its national legislation measures for not more than three years. Generally, the transitory agreements shall be abolished five years after the accession. Nevertheless, there is a possibility for a Member State of EU-25 to ask an authorisation from the Commission to continue to apply its national measures for two more years, but only if it ascertains distortions in its labour market.
Which are the countries that have restrictions for Bulgarians (see below) ?
Detailed Information on the free movement of workers to and from Bulgaria is available here [36 KB] .
For more information:
ЕURES:
http://europa.eu.int/eures/home.jsp?lang=en&langChanged=true
DG Internal Market and Services:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/internal_market/index_en.htm
MISSOC-Mutual Information System on Social Protection:
http://www.ec.europa.eu/employment_social/social_protection/missoc_en.htm
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EU MS 15
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OFFICIAL POSITION
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Finland
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Free movement of workers (declared on 27.12.2006 by the Finish ministry of labour).
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Sweden
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Will not apply a transitional period (free movement of workers).
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Spain
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Will apply a transitional period at the formula 1+1 – facilitated access compared to the approach laid down in the Accession treaty. Spain will conduct a revision at the end of the first year and in case of lack of threat for its labour market, will open it to foreign workers from the beginning of the second year after accession.
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Italy
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Free movement of workers for 8 sectors of the labour market (agriculture, hotellerie, construction, machine-building, housekeeping, seasonal work, highly qualified work and management) and a transitional period of 1 year for the rest of the sectors.
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United Kingdom
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Will apply a transitional period with quotas forlow - qualified workers and a facilitated access for highly qualified workers, at the formula 1+1.
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Austria
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Will apply a transitional period of two years, with limitation as to business trips of workers in service provision in sectors laid down in the Accession treaties.
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Belgium
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Will apply a transitional period of two years, with facilitated access to the labor market for certain professions, determined by regions (Brussels, Flandres and Wallonia and the German community).
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Germany
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Will apply a transitional period of two years, with limitation as to business trips in service provision in sectors laid down in the Accession treaties.
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Greece
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Will apply a transitional period of two years (madepublicon 17.11.2006). More details on licensing procedures are expected.
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Denmark
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Will apply a transitional period of two years.
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Ireland
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Will apply a transitional period of two years. Details on licensing procedures are expected.
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Portugal
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Will apply a transitional period of two years (declared on the 28th December 2006by the Portuguese government).
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France
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Will apply a transitional period of two years with facilitated access to seven sectors of the labour market.
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Luxembourg
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Will apply a transitional period of two years,withfacilitatedaccesstocertainsectorsofthelabourmarket (agriculture, viticulture).
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Netherlands
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Will apply a transitional period of two years.
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EU MS 10
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Estonia
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Will not apply a transitional period (free movement of workers) – government decision of September 2006.
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Cyprus
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Will not apply a transitional period (free movement of workers) - government decision of 12.12.2006.
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Latvia
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Will not apply a transitional period (free movement of workers) – government decision of 19.12.2006.
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Lithuania
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Will not apply a transitional period (free movement of workers).
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Poland
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Will not apply a transitional period (free movement of workers).
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SlovakRepublic
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Will not apply a transitional period (free movement of workers).
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Slovenia
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Will not apply a transitional period (free movement of workers).
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CzechRepublic
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Will not apply a transitional period (free movement of workers). Government decision of 30.11.2006.
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Hungary
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Will apply a transitional period of two years, with facilitated access to the labour market for certain professions – decision of the Hungarian government of 21.12.2006. A list of professions is established in the following sectors: food industry, textile industry, health care and construction (219 professions in total), for which the work permits will be issued automatically. For the rest of the professions a permits regime is applied, with determined quotas – 700 practitioners and 8000 seasonal workers.
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Malta
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Will apply a transitional period of two years – government decision of 15.12.2006.
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