Work Packages

WP2 – Mapping

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Work package 2 maps the patterns and dynamics of migration within the EU, considering both EU citizens and third-country nationals (TNCs), with the goal of creating a comprehensive source of data on intra-EU mobility. In addition to describing migration flows, the analysis also aims to identify the challenges of monitoring intra-EU mobility and bring forward effective solutions to these limitations.

Within the larger project, this work package contributes to the component examining the nature and impacts of intra-EU migration. The work package catalogues and synthesizes data sources that provide insights into different aspects of intra-EU mobility, creating a user-friendly database that will facilitate future research. It brings these statistics together to paint a comprehensive picture of what available statistics can tell us about the scale and characteristics of EU mobility, enabling comparisons of different mobility metrics across Member States. These metrics will be used by researchers conducting cross-country analyses in several of the following work packages.

In particular, the mapping component examines questions such as the prominence of intra-EU mobility among EU citizens and TCNs in Europe, and maps the main migration corridors of cross-border mobility and circular migration, considering both intra-regional and international movements. It identifies how bilateral mobility patterns differ by age, gender, skills, occupational status, self-employment status and citizenship among EU citizens and TCNs in Europe. It analyses the nature of the mobility, asking to what extent students and dependent family members take part in intra-EU mobility, in addition to migrant workers. Moreover, it maps cross-border and regional mobility rate, cross-border and regional commuting rate and lifetime mobility among EU citizens and TCNs.

Given the limitations of data in many countries on individuals’ national migration routes, for the majority of the research the analysis relies on existing data collected on certain populations within countries. One of the outcomes will be a database giving detailed information on these publicly available data sources. Moreover, researchers will conduct additional in-depth analysis on the countries with the highest concentration of intra-EU mobility of both EU citizens and TCNs, using the databases we have access to for a deeper understanding of the major pathways of individuals.
The second component of the work package identifies the major limitations of international data on intra-EU mobility. Data sources are analysed in terms of data coverage as well as the quality, reliability and comparability of the data. In addition to describing the data, researchers will assess the underlying methodological, conceptual and practical reasons for the limitations in data collection. Finally, they will ask how these limitations can be addressed in the most effective and efficient ways possible.

The methodological approach of this second component is twofold: firstly, researchers will perform a comprehensive review of the existing literature and statistical guidance on different data sources. Secondly, they will conduct in-depth interviews will policy makers, statisticians and academics in the top destination countries for intra-EU mobility. The interviews will explore the major drawbacks of the existing data and explore which sources of mobility are not captured in major databases.

Publications

Literature Review

Monitoring migration within the EU with existing data

Working Papers

Patterns of Migration in the European Union

Monitoring and Mapping Migration in the EU with Existing Data

Report

Relevant Data to Understand Migration in the EU

Database

Database of Existing Databases on Migration in the EU

Blogs

Patterns of migration in the European Union

The prominence of return migration among intra-EU migration flows

Largest bilateral migration corridors within the EU28

Intra-EU migration: Are there higher concentrations of migrants in larger countries?