Essay from the year 2006 in the subject Politics - Topic: Globalization, Political Economics, grade: 72 (UK system), University of Kent, language: English, abstract: On May 1, 2004, ten new countriesi joined the European Union (EU). Besides the Mediterranean countries of Cyprus and Malta, eight Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC/EU-8) became members of the EU. The developments that lead to the enlargement in 2004 were accompanied by concerns in the fifteen old member states (EU-15) regarding the potential inflow of workers from the EU-8. The Free Movement of Workers is a fundamental pillar of the EU’s internal market and is legally defined in Article 39 I of the Treaty of the European Community.ii According to this principle, every citizen of the EU is entitled to take up employment and to answer to job-offers EU wide. Some countries of the EU-15 feared that their labour markets were going to be flooded by Eastern European workers. Polish plumbers and Czech pavers, taking over the jobs of the EU-15 citizens, became symbols of the fear that was spreading in some EU-15 countries. This essay will focus on two aspects: Firstly, it will examine whether the estimated migration scenarios prior to enlargement have been able to picture the current migration flows correctly. In a second step, the short- and medium-term impacts of EU-10 migration on the economies of the UK and Germany will be assessed. Whereas the former decided to allow migrant workers access to its labour market from the very beginning, the latter had chosen to restrict the free movement of workers and is currently considering extending these restrictions until 2009. It will be argued that the fears concerning negative economic effects in the UK were irrational – at least concerning the short-term impact. In regard to the German case, it will be argued that extending the restrictions until 2009 will have only a limitedly harmful effect on the economy.

This conference proceedings shows that the migration flows within and from the CEECs are much more complex than a straightforward westward flow towards the European Union and North America.

Dit boek beschrijft de toename van migratie uit Oost-europese landen in de periode van 2004-2007, na toetreding tot de EU. Het bevat nieuwe empirische 'casestudies' van migratiepatronen, zowel gebaseerd op veldwerk als op de analyse van bestaande statistieken.

This book provides an accessible and comprehensive evaluation of labor migration in general and Turkish labor migration to the European Union in particular. Gonul O uz introduces the link between the European integration process and Turkish labor migration and focuses on critical issues and policies relating to economic, demographic, political, and social implications of the EU's eastern enlargement. Advance praise for "EU Enlargement and Turkish Labour Migration " "It is surprising, given the longevity of migrant flows from Turkey into Western Europe, that there has so far been no similar text, and the author is to be congratulated on taking on the job. The arguments presented are well-supported by empirical data and by an extensive bibliography. It is clearly written and will be a welcome addition to the bookshelves of academics, policymakers, and other interested parties."--John Salt, emeritus professor of geography and director of the Migration Research Unit, University College London "Gonul O uz critically examines the issues of Turkey-related migration in the context of European enlargement, and provides stimulating answers to many questions fundamental to an understanding of the burning issues."--Ahmet cduygu, professor of international relations and director of the Migration Research Program, Koc University "This provocative book argues that Turkish accession to the EU is more likely to be associated with a test-the-waters migration hump rather than an ongoing wave of Turkish migrants to EU member states."--Philip Martin, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California-Davis, and chair of the University of California Comparative Immigration and Integration Program"

This paper analyses the impact of large and persistent emigration from Eastern European countries over the past 25 years on these countries’ growth and income convergence to advanced Europe. While emigration has likely benefited migrants themselves, the receiving countries and the EU as a whole, its impact on sending countries’ economies has been largely negative. The analysis suggests that labor outflows, particularly of skilled workers, lowered productivity growth, pushed up wages, and slowed growth and income convergence. At the same time, while remittance inflows supported financial deepening, consumption and investment in some countries, they also reduced incentives to work and led to exchange rate appreciations, eroding competiveness. The departure of the young also added to the fiscal pressures of already aging populations in Eastern Europe. The paper concludes with policy recommendations for sending countries to mitigate the negative impact of emigration on their economies, and the EU-wide initiatives that could support these efforts.

Even as the 2013-2017 “migration crisis” is increasingly in the past, EU countries still struggle to come up with alternative solutions to foster safe, orderly, and regular migration pathways, Europeans continue to look in the rear-view mirror.This Report is an attempt to reverse the perspective, by taking a glimpse into the future of migration to Europe. What are the structural trends underlying migration flows to Europe, and how are they going to change over the next two decades? How does migration interact with specific policy fields, such as development, border management, and integration? And what are the policies and best practicies to manage migration in a more coherent and evidence-based way?

This volume investigates the challenges confronted by the European Union (EU) as an international actor deeply influenced by migration. This has been a key phenomenon in recent years and holds great political, economic and social importance for the future of the whole European continent. The book focuses on specific aspects related to East-West migration, such as the importance of migration for economic development and the multi-faceted impact of migration on sending countries, as well as recipient countries. It also includes an overview of the myriad of reasons which stand for the fundamental decision whether to emigrate or not. The collection offers a novel Eastern European perspective on contemporary migration, a hotly debated topic inside the European Union, which is far from being fully recognised and understood, and it also provides valuable, complex and comprehensive insight into the issue of South Eastern migration to Western Europe.

One of the most important consequences of EU enlargement in May 2004 was to extend the principle of the free movement of labour to the citizens of the central and eastern European new member states. In this book a team of labour economists and migration experts sheds light on the dimensions, characteristics and impacts of cross-border labour migration in selected sending (Hungary, Latvia and Poland) and receiving (Austria, Germany, Sweden and the UK) countries. Separate contributions detail the policy responses by governments, employers and trade unions in these countries to the challenges posed by both inward and outward migration. By setting out and analyzing the facts for seven countries, which vary greatly in their geographical situation, policies, and outcomes, the book contributes to the debate on this crucial issue in the ongoing process of European integration.