Should EU countries maintain labour movement restrictions for Romania?

Since Romania abolished communism in 1989, there have been several migration waves towards the western countries. With the accession of Romania to the European Community in 2007, labour migration became a spotlight problem due to the free movement principle. Fear of a flood of immigrants has made some EU countries maintain labour restriction, despite none of the economic data indicating a significant disruption in the workforce market. Even more so, with the recession increasing unemployment figures, some countries are also considering enlarging the restriction to the maximum of 7 years. This paper analyses data between 2007 and 2009 from the top migration destinations for Romanians, Spain and Italy, in an attempt to prove that further maintaining labour restrictions is not only unjustified, but also counterproductive towards the aim of a fully integrated Europe.