Implications for EU and candidate countries: Migration

The inclusion of Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) will possibly lead to increased migration flows and a change in the structure of  labour markets in the European Union. Although there has been fear among current member states of the Union that the labour markets will be overflowed by labour from the candidate countries, most studies conclude that the effects on the labour markets will only be limited. This section lists some of the publications available online concerning the effects of enlargement on migration flows and labour.

Relevant publications

Immigration, Labour Mobility and EU Enlargement, M. Piracha, R. Vickerman, Department of Economic University of Kent, 2001 

This article touches upon the effects of enlargement on immigration and labour mobility in the European Union and the candidate countries. The authors do not notice an overwhelming problem of migrant flows in Europe in regard to the enlargement. Contrarily, they believe that migrant flows will play an important role in improving the flexibility of EU labour markets. The authors advocate flexible mechanism dealing with migrant flows rather than setting aggregate quotas or transition periods to free movement of labour after enlargement.

For the document click here.

The Impact of Eastern Enlargement on Employment and Labour Markets in the EU Member States, T. Boeri, H. Bruecker, 2000, European Integration Consortium, Berlin/Milano

The paper deals with three dimensions of the enlargement process: trade in goods and services, migration of labour and capital movement. However, most attention is direct towards the dimension of migration and labour. The authors claim that enlargement will lead to migration, but the proportions will not be as large as is often feared. The impact on labour in the EU15 members will overall be limited although the enlargement might affect wages and employment in regions bordering the countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

For the document click here.

Patterns of Migration in Central Europe, C. Wallace (2000), paper presented at the Conference on Economic and Social Dimensions of EU Enlargement, ENEPRI, Brussels

This documents reviews migration issues between Central European countries and the European Union. Migration flows affect both the Central European countries and the EU15. The paper aims not only to describe these effects, it also deals with theoretical aspects of migratory developments. The author gives a special focus to four Central European countries: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The document aims to fill the gap in migration studies related to these four Central European countries. To some extent the discussion includes the role of migrants from developing countries in the Central European countries. The four countries have been absorbing migrants from countries like Vietnam, China and Sri Lanka. In the conclusion the author identifies five different fields of tension resulting from new forms of migration in Central and Eastern Europe as well as within the EU. The tension relates to problems of a multi-cultural reality, the ease of travel versus bureaucratic restrictions, a need for cheap labour versus increasing controls on migrant workers, a consumer culture versus falling or low incomes, and newly found statehood versus regional and global integration.

For the document click here.