BRUSSELS, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Three European Union members -- Denmark, Greece and Spain -- have opened their borders to workers from Bulgaria and Romania.
The restrictions were removed effective Thursday, the EU Observer reported. Greece made its announcement only the day before.
Britain, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Belgium all announced in December that they were extending their restrictions on Greeks and Bulgarians for an additional three years.
For many years, citizens of any EU member country could work anywhere in the union. But the flood of people seeking jobs and better pay in Western Europe when the first former Soviet bloc countries joined frightened member governments, leading to temporary bans on Bulgarians and Romanians when those countries became the most recent members.
"With this move, illegal work will diminish," an official with the Greek Ministry of Labor told Bgnes, a Bulgarian news agency.
Officials have also said the economies of Bulgaria and Romania have become stronger, so fewer people are likely to seek jobs elsewhere.
