Frank Fahey (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

The amendment is opposed. The treaty of accession negotiated between the current EU member states and the ten countries that are due to accede to the European Union in 2004 provides that member states shall apply their own national measures regarding labour market access for at least the first two years following accession in respect of the nationals of eight of these countries, namely, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The treaty of accession provides that the nationals of Malta and Cyprus shall be accorded full labour market access from the date of accession. Ireland's national measures consist of granting labour market access to the nationals of the eight aforementioned states once accession takes place.