After the Honeymoon: Labor Market Implications Five Years after European Union Enlargement

DIW DC and the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS)

Cordially invite you to a luncheon book presentation with

Klaus F. Zimmermann
Director IZA, President DIW Berlin, Professor Bonn University

Moderator
Dr. Sidney Weintraub
Holder of the William E. Simon Chair, CSIS

The 2004 and 2007 EU enlargements involving Cyprus, Malta, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania have considerably changed the migration landscape in Europe. Are immigrants from the new EU member states a threat to the Western welfare state? Do they take jobs away from natives? And will the source countries suffer from severe brain drain or demographic instability? In a timely and unprecedented contribution, this talk integrates what is known about post-enlargement migration and its effects on EU labor markets. Based on rigorous analysis and hard data, it makes a convincing case that there is no evidence that the post-enlargement labor migrants would on aggregate displace native workers or lower their wages, or that they would be more dependent on welfare. While brain drain may be a concern in the source countries, the anticipated brain circulation between EU member states may in fact help to solve their demographic and economic problems, and improve the allocative efficiency in the EU. The lesson is clear: free migration is a solution rather than a foe for labor market woes and cash-strapped social security systems in the EU.

Free pre-print book copies available while supplies last.

Please RSVP by contacting Elsbeth Clay at clay@diwdc.org or by calling 202-429-2904. This event is open to the public.