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This book makes an essential contribution to understanding the dynamics of contemporary immigrant inflows and integration in Europe. Though embracing a Continent-wide outlook on migration processes, it accounts, in particular, for Southern and Eastern European perspectives. This is accomplished by analysing the long-term transition countries undergo from net emigration to net immigration, as well as developments in their migrant inflows, integration and policy. Balance is achieved between describing the common European experience and the intra- and inter-regional differences characterising migration's underlying factors and trends. This volume is one of few attempts to conceive of the 'Old Continent' as a common economic and cultural space that fully incorporates its eastern part, while still viewing post-enlargement Europe as an area that – despite nation-specific histories – maintains a high degree of social and political coherence.

The book is very comprehensive, with deep insights into aspects of immigration throughout different periods and changing socio-economic environments. Contents come from new empirical evidence, specially designed and collected. A great asset is the mix of authors, representing several academic centres across Europe yet pursuing a common vision of European migration, past, present and future. - Dit boek analyseert de instroom en integratie van immigranten in Europa, waarbij alle aspecten van de immigratie gedurende uiteenlopende perioden en in veranderende sociaaleconomische omstandigheden aan bod komen. Daarbij wordt Europa beschouwd als één economische en culturele entiteit, met een grote mate van onderlinge sociale en politieke samenhang. De auteur heeft echter ook oog voor de regionale verschillen die bepalend zijn voor de onderliggende factoren en trends.

This volume of the latest research in European migration embraces a continent-wide outlook on migration processes and accounts particularly from Southern and Eastern European perspectives. This is accomplished by analyzing the long-term transition that countries undergo from net emigration to net immigration, as well as developments in their migrant inflows, integration, and policy. The mix of authors' representing several academic centers across Europe yet pursuing a common vision of European migration past, present, and future' utilize new empirical evidence, specially designed and collected.'

This book makes an essential contribution to understanding the dynamics of contemporary immigrant inflows and integration in Europe. Though embracing a Continent-wide outlook on migration processes, it accounts, in particular, for Southern and Eastern European perspectives. This is accomplished by analysing the long-term transition countries undergo from net emigration to net immigration, as well as developments in their migrant inflows, integration and policy. Balance is achieved between describing the common European experience and the intra- and inter-regional differences characterising migration's underlying factors and trends. This volume is one of few attempts to conceive of the 'Old Continent' as a common economic and cultural space that fully incorporates its eastern part, while still viewing post-enlargement Europe as an area that – despite nation-specific histories – maintains a high degree of social and political coherence. The book is very comprehensive, with deep insights into aspects of immigration throughout different periods and changing socio-economic environments. Contents come from new empirical evidence, specially designed and collected. A great asset is the mix of authors, representing several academic centres across Europe yet pursuing a common vision of European migration, past, present and future.

Countries in Central and Eastern Europe seem to be slower than other European countries in reversing their migration character - from net emigration to net immigration. In the past, migratory movements were governed by political events and institutional constraints that impeded free access to foreign labour markets. Yet of late, and particularly since the beginning of the process of transition and the accession to the larger European economic sphere, the migration environment underwent a change. An outflow from several Central and Eastern European countries has been gaining momentum, and at present the process is characterised by several novel features that may signal a migration 'breakthrough.' It is now quite realistic to expect that emigration will relieve manpower surpluses in these countries, and that in a dozen or so years they will become - thanks to dynamic growth and economic modernization, which, in turn, could be impacted by the repercussions of present-day emigration - steady demanders of foreign labour. This paper portrays a preliminary sketch of this evolution.

Until the late 1980s Central and Eastern Europe was a region relatively isolated from the other parts of the world. Flows of people between the countries, even inside the region, were rather small and sporadic, due to administrative restrictions on foreign travel. Contrary to what was feared in the West around 1990, it has not been flooded by East Europeans newly equipped with the freedom of movement. Indeed, the out‐flow of groups such as ethnic minorities, political opponents, and elites, has diminished. Nevertheless, at least three very dramatic and partly unexpected migration movements have occurred in the region. First: an unprecedented intensification of international flows within the region. Second: an influx of people from outside the region. Third: westbound transit. These three phenomena have a direct and sometimes con‐siderable impact on the countries undergoing the migration flows, provoking in them particular political responses.

Until the beginning of the 1990s Poland did not receive foreign migrants. Thereafter, the situation changed dramatically. A large part of the inflow proved to be illegal migrants, many of whom were in transit to Western Europe. Although these movements gradually declined in the second half of the decade, some became increasingly identified with relatively sophisticated smuggling of people. Foreigners smuggled from the South to the West, together with the international criminal networks assisting them, became typical of the migratory movements of people in Central and Eastern Europe during the 1990s. This article seeks to describe illegal migration from the perspective of Poland, a country often perceived as a major transit area in the smuggling of persons to Western Europe. The conclusions draw on the findings of several surveys recently carried out in Poland. Basic concepts related to illegal migration are defined and juxtaposed, and various myths and stereotypes concerning it that most often stem from the paucity of empirical evidence are examined. Finally, the trends observed in Poland are interpreted within the larger context of contemporary European migration.