Which two countries did not have full access to the EU labor market until 2013?

Bulgaria and Romania did not have full access to the EU labor market until 2013 due to transitional measures imposed when they joined the European Union in 2007. These measures allowed existing member states to impose restrictions on the free movement of workers from these two countries for a set period. As a result, workers from Bulgaria and Romania were required to meet specific criteria or were subject to quotas, limiting their ability to work freely across other EU nations.

The transitional restrictions were, however, gradually lifted in different member states, with full access granted to Bulgarian and Romanian citizens in 2013. This situation highlights how EU member states sometimes negotiate conditions, allowing them to manage the impact of labor migration from new member countries in their economies.

In contrast, other countries listed had either joined the EU earlier or were not subject to the same restrictions upon their accession. For example, Poland and Hungary, as earlier members, enjoyed full labor market access, while the Czech Republic and Slovakia did not face the same transitional restrictions that Bulgaria and Romania did when they entered the EU.