According to the decision, unskilled workers from Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, countries which joined the EU in 2004, will not be able to work in Germany until April 30, 2011. Restrictions for workers from Bulgaria and Romania, which joined the EU at the beginning of2007, will not be lifted until the beginning of 2012.
Along with the extended restrictions, Germany eased restrictions on highly qualified workers and could effectively open its borders to Eastern Europeans with university degrees in 2009.
The new rules are due to take effect at the beginning of next year and still need to be approved by the parliament.
Germany closed its labor market to the eight Eastern European countries that joined the EU in 2004, for fears a flood of cheap labor would put Germans out of work due to its geographic proximity to the new member states. The restrictions were initially imposed for three years, and then extended a further two years to 2009.
