The Baltic States: Migration Processes after Joining the European Union

Abstract

One of the manifestations of the globalization of the world economy is the international migration of labour, which in the modern world is becoming one of the most important trends in social development. Problems of migration, education, and functioning of Diaspora communities are becoming the leading topics of public discourse and the subject of research in various branches of Social Sciences. The article deals with the features of labour migration of the population of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia as labour exporting countries. Emigration from the Baltic States has a long history, which began in the mid-19th century. The most dramatic increase in migration flows from these states occurred after they acceded to the European Union, which led to a significant reduction in the population in these States. Depopulation and, above all, emigration of the most active and educated social groups is a legitimate concern for both the public and the leadership of the Baltic States. Using a wide range of statistical data, the author examines the patterns of emigration that developed during the first decade in each of these states against the general background of migration processes in the post-socialist countries of Eastern Europe that joined the European Union simultaneously with the Baltic States. The article analyzes the factors that cause labour emigration, the social and demographic structure of the emerging emigrant communities, the current state, trends, direction, and scale of emigration flows from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, and conflicting approaches to assessing labour emigration from these countries. The features of migration processes in each of these countries are revealed. Based on the analysis, the authors substantiate the prospects of migration processes in connection with the recent positive trends in the economic development of the Baltic States, primarily in Lithuania and Estonia.