Letter to the Editor: Good for us

From Mr Roland Rudd

The influx of workers from the new European Union member states since 2004 has benefited not only the economies of the incoming members but also boosted economic growth in the UK. A report from the European Commission earlier this year noted that the member states to have fully opened their labour markets (the UK, Ireland and Sweden), far from experiencing economic difficulties, were healthy relative to those member states that did not.

Our national debate often refers to immigration as dangerous and pernicious; the enlargement of the EU and the economic benefits it has brought represents a refreshing antidote.

Roland Rudd
Chairman, Business for New Europe, London EC2