International Roundup

Holland ’s Social Affairs Minister, Piet Hein Donner, has expressed concern that the influx of Polish, Bulgarian and Romanian workers in his country is beginning to level off, Expatica News reports.

Donner says more Poles and East Europeans are opting to stay in their home countries. He acknowledges that there are problems with issues like housing, but 'we would have much more of a problem on the labour market if the Poles weren't here.'

Donner, the leader Christian Democrat CDA party, warned a meeting of 150 business owners and local leaders in the Noord-Holland town of Zwaagdijk on Wednesday that we 'mustn't miss the boat.' 'That means that if we do not provide decent facilities and housing in the Netherlands , the businesses will have to move to Poland to have their work done there. Governments, employers and employees all have a vested interest in not letting the Dutch economy get to that point.'

Donner said that the number of workers from Poland and other East European countries that have joined the EU since 2004 has not grown since the Dutch labour market was opened up to them in May 2007. 100,000 to 150,000 of these labour migrants have been working in the Netherlands since the border was opened, most of them Polish.

Bulgarians and Romanians, EU members since 2007, still need a work permit to work in the Netherlands . The Centre for Work and Income (CWI) issued 3,654 permits for workers from these countries last year, compared to 3,005 in 2006. Most of these labour migrants work in the agriculture and horticulture sectors.

Donner has not yet made a decision on opening the border to Bulgarians and Romanians. He first wants to see a report on labour migration, which is expected before the summer.

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According to The Daily Trust of Nigeria , The Nigeria Immigration Service was launched this week, introducing an e-passport system.  Governor Bukola Saraki who launched the passport on Tuesday at the state head office of Immigration Service commended the initiative of the Service.  Saraki urged passport users to patronize the new passport. He assured that the government would support the initiative to make it functional and effective.

The Comptroller-General of the Service, C.J. Odey, said the passport is referred to as Harmonized ECOWAS Electronic (Smart) passport and that it is specially computerized to fight fraud and forgery as well as check abuses to which the machine readable one had been subjected.

He said the back page of the passport holds an electronic chip and an antenna while the holder's personal details, finger print and photograph are printed on the front cover.

Odey added that the passport does not only meet standards set by the International Civil Organization (ICAO), its pages contain the country's landmarks, symbol of democracy, cultural heritage and is tamper proof.