Romania may have joined the EU six years ago, but many of its citizens feel they are treated like second-class Europeans, shunned by wealthier members of the club. Lazy stereotypes, confusing Romanians with the ethnic Romani people, have been bolted on to fears of immigration waves swamping local services and stealing jobs from European neighbours. In January, a temporary annual cap limiting the number of Romanian and Bulgarian low and unskilled workers entering the UK to 25,000 will expire. The pressure group Migration Watch UK, which claims to be non-political but is concerned about immigration levels, is estimating 70,000 people a year from those countries could now travel to the UK in search of work. The problem for those advocating further controls is simple - the EU enshrines in its treaties the fundamental right of citizens to travel freely between member states. With such an intense political debate surrounding the relaxing of restrictions, why do so many Romanians want to come to Britain? When we travelled to the capital Bucharest, I assumed the problem was unemployment - that the prospect of more work opportunities or access to the UK's universal benefits system would be the main draw. But it is not the lack of jobs in Romania that has caused the exodus - the employment rate is better than that in the UK. It is how much people get paid. Salaries are at least a quarter of equivalent positions in the UK. A police officer's monthly wage is a little over £250 after tax. So while some in the UK fret about the implications of thousands of unskilled workers pouring into Britain's still stuttering economy, the Romanian government has a different concern - a drain of its brightest talent. We interviewed Labour Minister Mariana Campeanu in her office, the double glazing barely dampening the sounds of a demonstration by police officers outside, demanding better pay and conditions. "Unfortunately, young qualified Romanians are the ones who move to these countries because they want to get better-paid jobs, not because they want to take advantage of their benefits," she told Sky News. "We have many people who study in universities across Europe and they usually find better paid jobs there. We hope the Romanian economy improves so we can offer higher salaries for those who want to come back." And that, of course, is the central idea behind the EU, that free movement of goods and services, coupled with billions of euro in structural funds will help level the playing field and expand the single market both geographically and economically. But the playing field is a long way from being level, and it is that central imbalance which has led hundreds of thousands to leave. Since accession in 2007, Romania represents 8% of the emigration wave around the EU, second only to Poland. Andrei Iosep, one of Romania's star water polo players, is planning to move to the UK in January after Team GB approached him for help in training the national team. He says he intends to return home eventually, but wants to take advantage of the relaxation of immigration controls and improve the image of Romanians abroad. "I was in a club in Italy a few years ago and tried to chat with a girl. She asked me where I'm from and when I told her Romania, she just turned her back on me and left," he recalled. "I was shocked and felt very bad," he said. "I've had some unfortunate experiences around Europe. The fact that we were treated differently compared to others upset me." We also spoke to Daniel Rusu, who intends to come to the UK to work on building sites and believes some Britons are overstating the concerns of people moving just to access benefits. "Unfortunately, some of the stories are true and I am talking about those who go to Britain to beg, steal or have no plans to get hired. Their numbers are tiny, but they have a huge influence on opinion," he told Sky News. "British people link them to the majority of Romanian immigrants who really want to work legally and make a future there." The Government will be monitoring the influx closely. It is sure to be a political issue before the next general election and feeds into the much wider debate about Britain's relationship with Europe.

• published: 16 Oct 2013
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