Migration in the EU - Statistics and Facts
The freedom of movement of people is one of the fundamental pillars of the European Union, enshrined in Article 21 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. Citizens of an EU country are free to live in any other member state for up to three months without any conditions on their remaining in that country, after which they must show that they are employed, enrolled in education, or have sufficient resources to support themselves while living in the country. In effect, this means that EU citizens can move freely between EU countries, with those countries that are in the Schengen Area not even requiring other EU citizens to pass through any border control (as of 2023, only Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, and Romania are not Schengen members). The situation of these intra-EU migrants stands in stark contrast to migrants from outside of the EU, who need to apply for a visa permit to be able to reside in any EU member state. Additionally, non-EU migrants may enter the EU as asylum seekers, as millions have done during the Syrian Civil War (since 2011) and Russia-Ukraine War (since 2022), along with other conflicts in Europe’s neighborhood.
Since the normalization of CEE member states citizens' right to freedom of movement within the EU, citizens from these countries have emigrated to a wider range of countries. Romanians, Italians and Poles are the largest groups of intra-EU migrants, with many people from these countries migrating for work in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. As a share of their population, Romania is the country with the most citizens in other EU countries, while Croatia and Bulgaria have similarly high levels of migration, all with over 10 percent of their population living abroad in the EU. Germany is the EU member state which hosts the greatest number of intra-EU migrants, with over 4.5 million non-German EU citizens living in the country. Nonetheless, as a share of population Luxembourg is by far and away the EU country with the most intra-EU migrants, with almost 38 percent of the Grand Duchy’s population being intra-EU migrants.
With so much media focus on armed conflicts and economic migration, one could easily forget that those are not the only reasons for migration to Europe. According to Italian sources other important reasons for migration for individuals from non-EU countries in 2022 included studies, family, and others, such as religion or health. The Netherlands alone saw its international student community more than triple between 2006 and 2022, from roughly 31,500 in 2007 to over 122,000 in 2022.
Intra-EU Migration
Migration of people from one member state to another for work, study, and to live, has been a pillar of the European project since its foundation in the 1950s. During the early years of the project when most member states had relatively similar living standards and wages, migration flows within the bloc were generally low, with exceptions such as Irish emigration to the United Kingdom and Italian emigration to Germany. With the entrance into the EU of 8 formerly communist countries in central and eastern Europe in 2004, however, migration flows within the union dramatically picked up. As many countries, notably Germany, chose to enact a transition period which limited migration from new member states for a period of seven years, these flows were directed towards countries which sought migration from CEE countries, notably Ireland and Sweden.Since the normalization of CEE member states citizens' right to freedom of movement within the EU, citizens from these countries have emigrated to a wider range of countries. Romanians, Italians and Poles are the largest groups of intra-EU migrants, with many people from these countries migrating for work in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. As a share of their population, Romania is the country with the most citizens in other EU countries, while Croatia and Bulgaria have similarly high levels of migration, all with over 10 percent of their population living abroad in the EU. Germany is the EU member state which hosts the greatest number of intra-EU migrants, with over 4.5 million non-German EU citizens living in the country. Nonetheless, as a share of population Luxembourg is by far and away the EU country with the most intra-EU migrants, with almost 38 percent of the Grand Duchy’s population being intra-EU migrants.
War in Ukraine
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to huge numbers of Ukrainians fleeing their war-torn homeland. As of November 2022, approximately 43.3 million border crossings from Ukraine have been reported, alongside 36.9 million border crossings into Ukraine. The most common destinations for Ukrainean refugees have been Germany and Poland, which have seen over 1.2 million and 957,500 refugees enter the countries from Ukraine. Due to this, both countries are the largest recipients of finanical aid from the European Union for hosting refugees from Ukraine.With so much media focus on armed conflicts and economic migration, one could easily forget that those are not the only reasons for migration to Europe. According to Italian sources other important reasons for migration for individuals from non-EU countries in 2022 included studies, family, and others, such as religion or health. The Netherlands alone saw its international student community more than triple between 2006 and 2022, from roughly 31,500 in 2007 to over 122,000 in 2022.
