Immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria are filling jobs which Brits are too lazy to do, claims a senior minister in Bucharest.
Romanian Minister for Labour Mariana Campeanu said Britain should welcome migrant workers who take jobs which its own citizens are shunning.
In an interview with The Times, she said migrants "contribute greatly to GDP" and were being employed in sectors where there are a shortage of workers, such as nursing.
She also hinted the British welfare system was too generous, resulting in many becoming dependant on benefits and reluctant to take certain jobs.
She said: "If there are any vacancies, somebody will fill them, whether they are from Romania, Italy, Spain or wherever."
The minister's comments come just a few weeks before restrictions on Romanians working in Britain are relaxed.
Prime Minister David Cameron has promised welfare benefits for new immigrants will be limited by the government, after some politicians claimed the changes would result in a massive influx of Romanians.
The changes will also apply to Bulgarians when they are introduced on January 1.
