less sanguine
NWO weighs in:
When I wrote it initially it was largely in jest, but come to think about it, I think there is some validity in the idea. In and around Komarom and Esztergom there are already a non inconsequential number of Slovaks working in Hungarian businesses in Hungary. Maybe they are all ethnically Hungarian so there is no language barrier that would face a Hungarian going to work in a car factory in Bratislava, but having said that, there seems to be mobility the other way.And this mobility, it seems to me, is wholly a positive. There are labor shortages in this part of Hungary, and the shortages can be filled by foreigners it is good for Hungary, good for the business and good for the workers.
Definitely.
More generally, labor mobility offers some of the greatest promise of anything in the EU. First of all, it creates a safety valve for many EU citizens and makes generally people more free. In the end, we all benefit from Poles and Latvians and Spaniards who work in the UK instead of remain unemployed at home. In one sense it would be great for Hungary if more young people went abroad for short periods. This might cause further labor shortages at home, but at least this should then act as a spur for the country losing people to change its policies. Wishful thinking, I know. But the bottom line is that the open borders among the EU countries and labor mobility is the greatest pro-liberty thing offered by the EU.
Again, I agree. But I am significantly less sanguine about European attitudes towards labor mobility in practice.
