Migration of Polish People in the European Union

• Author: Anna Organisciak-Krzykowska
• Pages: 353-361

353

ANNA ORGANIVCIAK- KRZYKOWSKA*

MIGRATION OF POLISH PEOPLE

IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Introduction

One of the goals of the European Union is an integration of different

areas of functioning of member states. This regards both the economic

sphere and the social one.

One of the important elements (conditions) of integration in the

social sphere is the free movement of persons, introduced as a part of the

Unified European Act (bukrowska and Stryjek 2004). The aim of the free

movement of persons is to level the differences concerning the state and

structure of working force resources, to balance the surpluses or deficits

on the job markets of individual countries and, in a long-term perspective,

to equalize the salaries and wages of the employees

The right of free movement and residence binding in the area of the

European Union, coupled with the wish to improve one’s life conditions,

contributed to the development of the phenomenon of migration.

In Poland the process turned out to be particularly significant in

connection with rapid political, economic and social changes of the era of

transformation and with the country’s accession to the European Union.

All persons having the citizenship of one of the member states of the

European Union are at the same time the citizens of the EU. The Union

citizenship does not replace the state citizenship, it merely complements

it. From the point of view of individual persons, the most important

reflection of its complementary status is the freedom of movement and

residence in the area of EU countries. This right (referred to as liberty) is,

along with the free flow of services, capital and goods, on e of the four

most important liberties of the internal market of the European Union.

Each citizen of the Union has the right to move freely and to reside

in the area of the Member States (Freedom of movement and...).

Of great importance for the realization of the principle of the

freedom of movement and residence the was the Directive no

2004/38/WE (2004) adopted by the European Parliament together with

the Council of the European Union and concerning on the right of

* University of Warmia and Mazury - Faculty of Economics - Department of

Social Policy.