The EU

The European Union is to some extent a product of the guilt and fear caused by the second World War and the hope that something like that could never happen again by bringing everyone together. Freedom of movement was enshrined in the Treaty of Rome in 1957 and is seen as benefitting economic and social growth within the union. 

Positive effects 

• In particular the freedom of the unemployed to move elsewhere for work can improve their own lives financially, relieve their home countries and help those countries with decreasing birth rates that would otherwise have serious issues with a decreasing workforce. 

Negative effects 

• Can be a threat to security and public safety and can aid the mobility of terrorists
• Encourages poor and unskilled migration that is not good in the medium to long term  as the migrant labour often does not contribute enough to pay for the additional infrastructure need. (infrastructure deficit)
• Over time can fundamentally alter the demographic, political and cultural nature of the host country
• Causes problems when member states have differing levels of wealth, health care and social care
• Can result in poorer countries paying to educate workforce, only for another country to then benefit from those skills. 

Migration from outside the EU

Europe currently receives over 2 million immigrants from beyond its borders a year. The ration between current population and immigrants is higher for Europe than for the USA. European population is changing more in age and racial structure due to immigration than by changes in birth and death rate.

About 9.4% per cent of the EU's people are foreign born, compared with 10.3% in the USA and almost 25% in Australia. 

Africa and Asia are the major sources of immigrants. 

Migration within the EU

There are two categories of migrants within the EU:

those moving between countries and those coming in from beyond the borders. 

Wealthier countries usually receive immigrants searching for work and a better lifestyle.

Poland and other Eastern European countries joined the EU in 2004. Since that date, many people have moved temporarily or permanently to the UK and other western EU countries for work. 

E.g There are 545,000 Polish passport holders living in the UK compared with 75,000 in 2003, the year before Poland joined the EU. 

Labour Migration

Cheaper travel and more information attract skilled and unskilled labour to Europe. Many EU residents would like the flow of migration to reduce, but the UN predicts that immigration into the EU will rise by 40% over 40 years. Immigration is a subject of political debate in all EU countries. 

• Spain's immigrant population grew by 400% in 10 years in the early 21st century.
• Italy expects 100,000 Romanians in the years following Romania's joining of the EU.

Europe needs immigrants because of its falling birth rate and the resulting lack of workers. Highly skilled workers often come to the EU to take temporary jobs in areas of shortage such as teaching, nursing and high tech computer jobs. Around 20% are graduates.