On Monday, Spain will take a step that confirms its status as a wealthy country that can provide jobs to immigrants, by lifting restrictions on the entry of workers from eight poorer, new members of the European Union. According to analysts, Spain needs foreigners to cover work force shortages in certain sectors and keep the retirement pension system alive, offsetting one of the world's lowest birth rates.
See "Spain Lets in Workers From New EU States", Daniel Woolls, San Francisco Chronicle, April 26, 2006