Western European countries complain their workers are subject to unfair competition from low-salaried eastern European competitors — an average hour of work costs an employer €40 in Denmark but only €3.80 in Bulgaria, according to Eurostat. Eastern European governments complain Commission efforts to enforce equal pay for equal work would unfairly block their workers from doing their jobs and trying to get ahead.
In one law, the incongruities of the so-called EU single market are laid bare.