East-West Migration in the Context of an Enlarging European Union: New Opportunities and New Challenges

This paper provides a general historical overview of European migration patterns. It also uses recent data in support of economic models and attempts to apply those models to current migration trends.

A case study of the Czech Republic illustrates the practical application of economic theories of migration. The country's changing status from an emigrant country to an immigrant country sparks both optimistic predictions about its future diverse labour market and pessimism about the consequences of a large uncontrollable inflow of migrants.