Migration in the European Union

What is EU migration?

Membership of the European Union has created much migration - to and from Britain.

Who is involved in migration within the European Union?

There is a lot of migration in the European Union, both from and to Britain.

• ❖ Part of the EU agreement is for the free movement of people between member countries, to live and work.
• ❖ In 2004, there were 1.9 million Europeans living and working in the UK. 60% of these have come from eastern Europe.
• ❖ Around 2 million British people live and work in other countries in the EU.

Why have people migrated within the EU?

There are a number of reasons for EU migration to Britain.

• ❖ Part of the EU agreement is for free movement of people to live and work in other member states.
• ❖ After the end of the Cold War, eastern European countries were allowed to join the EU. These included Poland, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria.
• ❖ The eastern European countries were poor, compared with the rest of Europe, and jobs were hard to find. Free movement allowed people to come to live and work in countries (such as Britain) where they could get higher wages.
• ❖ Britain remains one of the world's largest economies. As such, it is an attractive place for people to come to live and work.

What is the significance of EU migration?

These are some of the reasons why EU migration is significant.

• ❖ Migrants from EU countries have played a major role in Britain's economy.
• ❖ EU migrants have contributed to making Britain a rich and diverse multicultural society.
• ❖ However, the number of EU migrants - especially from eastern Europe - contributed to people's decision to vote to leave the EU in the 2016 Brexit Referendum.