Key European countries are keeping their doors closed to migrant skills from the EU accession states, a new report reveals.

France, Germany, Italy, Austria and The Netherlands are among those refusing to accommodate the EU’s open-border policy designed to help jobseekers from the poorest countries that joined the EU in May 2004.

Germany and Austria claim the decision will protect their economy from an unsustainable surge of migrants from Poland and Hungary.

Only the UK, Ireland and Sweden opened their employment markets to the 10 new member states that joined the EU two years ago.

The remaining twelve countries opted for a temporary two-year transition period to prepare their economies from a potential rush of cheap labour skills.

Only Greece, Spain, Portugal and Finland have since chosen to open their borders. The other member states have chosen to maintain full or partial restrictions until 2009.