UK has blacklist of Bulgarians, Romanians -paper

LONDON, July 23 (Reuters) The British government has drawn up a list of 45,000 Bulgarians and Romanians linked to organised crime or seen as security risks who might come to Britain when the two states join the EU, a newspaper reported today.

The Sunday Times said its report was based on a leaked Home Office document which revealed the government had compiled the ''warnings index'' from the records of Bulgarians and Romanians who had tried to enter Britain illegally in the past, or were thought to be involved in organised crime.

The document said ministers feared they may be unable to stop these people settling in Britain and claiming benefits.

The Home Office said it would not comment on a leaked document.

The newspaper said the document also revealed the government expected 60,000 to 140,000 Bulgarians and Romanians to migrate to Britain in the first year after EU accession.

Prior to the 2004 enlargement of the European Union, the government had estimated that between 5,000 and 13,000 east Europeans would come to Britain in the first year.

That turned out to be a woeful under-estimate. The true figure was more than 200,000.

Part of the reason why so many migrants came to Britain is that it was one of only three ''old'' EU states which opened its labour market fully to the new countries.

The government says it has not yet decided whether it would do the same for Bulgaria and Romania.

''That decision will be made on an evaluation of British labour market needs, the impact of the previous EU enlargement in 2004 and the position of other EU members states,'' a Home Office spokeswomansaid.

''But that will only be made after a formal date for accession is established.'' The EU's executive Commission is expected to make a decision on a date for Bulgarian and Romanian accession in September. It could give them the green light to join next year or, if it deems they are not ready, delay accession by a year.

REUTERS SKV PC1656