Britons should welcome Romanians on their labor market as immigrants take over jobs which are usually avoided by locals, Romanian Labor Minister Mariana Campeanu recently told British newspaper The Times.

The minister labeled the recent attacks on Romanians by British media and politicians as 'xenophobic and racist', according to the newspaper. She said young Romanians help UK cover the shortage of workers in some key areas, such as nursing and social care, while many Britons prefer to live on social welfare. The full story is here.

The Romanian Minister's statements came as several other local politicians have called on British officials to stop discriminating against Romanians and Bulgarians. EU officials, including president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, have asked British politicians to comply with the EU rules on free movement. British Prime Minister David Cameron recently flagged a move to limit Romanian and Bulgarian workers' access to the country’s benefit system. Sections of the British press have also been accused of “scaremongering” over the issue.

As of January 2014, Romanians and Bulgarians will no longer face work restrictions in a number of European countries, including the UK, and this has triggered a wave of concern over the impact on the country's social welfare systems.

editor@romania-insider.com