The Effect of EU Accession on Internal Migration in Poland

Abstract

This article examines the impact European Union (EU) policies have on internal migration in Poland. It argues that the EU indirectly through its cohesion funding and internal market policies creates push and pull incentives that affect internal migration. It focuses on the impact of three EU regulated factors: foreign direct investment, international migration, and EU funding. It contends that both foreign investment to a voivodeship as a result of the EU’s internal market policy, and EU funding to a voivodeship as a result of the EU’s cohesion policies, attracts internal migrants to that voivodeship and discourages residents from leaving. The article further argues that increasing international migration from a voivodeship as a result of the EUs labor policies decreases the incentive for internal migration. A cross-sectional time-series statistical analysis finds that higher levels of foreign investment and EU funding attract migrants to a voivodeship, while higher levels of international migration, FDI inflow, and EU funding decreases the incentive for residents of that voivodeship to relocate internally.