Recent Examples IV – East-West Migration Within Europe

The Current Debate, Problems and Measures

Boryana Chervilova

The Debate

• 1 May 2004 – the Controversial EU Enlargement

- Fears and Scepticism + Enriching Opportunity €

Fears of the Host Countries

• „Welfare Tourism“• Reduced Wages• Displacement Effects• Damage to the Welfare System

Restrictions: Transitional Agreements

The 4 Different EU-15 Regimes

• 1) Be, Lux, Fin, De, Fr, Gre,Sp – no more rights of movement than to the non-EEA nationals (reunions)

• 2) Au, Den, It, Por, the Netherlands – quotas.

• 3) UK, Ireland – unrestricted access, restricted social benefits.

• 4) Sweden – EU community rules apply.

Alternative Viewpoint • Analysts: Restrictions=domestic

political concerns of slowing economies, unemployment and anti-immigration sentiments.

• Lack of language skills and propensity to move

• Case of Greece´81, Sp.&Por ´86• Declined wages counteracted by “

labor => new investments”

Alternative Viewpoint continued

• Displacement – only if jobs are a fixed number

• Higher incomes not enough to be a push factor of migration, but also availability of jobs

• Imposition of labor restrictions against the EU spirit

I Problems of New Member States

• The Czech Case:

Unemployment (Northern Moravia)Lack of investment; the “poorer neighbour complex” (border with

Germany)Brain drain and youth-drain

(educational migration)

Problems II

• Quality of Immigration Coverage (QIC)

• Quality of Emmigration Coverage (QEC)

Quality of Statistical Data

Measures I• Schengen Aquis to avoid turbullences in the

labor market• FDI• Structural Development Funds• Improve economic climate • Realize benefits of larger markets,

possibilities for outsourcing, and cheaper labour

• Countries develop faster &attract citizens back home

Sources: UNESCO, the CIA, the New Economics Foundation, the World Health Organisation, the Veenhoven Database, the Latinbarometer, the Afrobarometer and the UNHDR.

Measures II

• Standardize migration definitions– Okólski (2004): 7 types of flows– UN definitions

• Develop stronger European legislation for statistics supplied to Eurostat– Currently – non-binding UN

recommendations

Thank You For Your Attention!