Background: In May 2004, labour market restrictions were imposed, as allowed by the accession treaties, on workers from the eight new Member States in Central and Eastern Europe by all the old (EU 15) Member States except Ireland, Sweden and the UK.
Pēc tam ierobežojumi jāatjauno atkal 2008. gadā un 2011. gadā, tomēr pārejas periodi nedrīkst ilgt vairāk nekā deviņus gadus kopā.