METOIKOS Regional Workshop III
Circular migration of Third Country Nationals: the Central Eastern European experiences
Warsaw, 30 May 2011
Warsaw Workshop Report
The METOIKOS Workshop in Warsaw has been the third of the four Regional Workshops scheduled to take place in four EU cities (Athens, Madrid, Warsaw, Rome) between April and June 2011. The aim of these workshops is to foster discussion on circular migration with a view to raising awareness about the challenges and advantages of circular mobility in the wider EU Neighbourhood and the Euro-Mediterranean region.
The Workshop Circular Migration of the TCN – the CEE Experiences took place in Warsaw on 30th May, 2011. It was hosted by the Tyszkiewiczów – Potockich Palace, at the University of Warsaw. Prof. Krystyna Iglicka from Centrum for International Relations and Prof. Renata Siemieńska, Director of the Institute for Social Studies in University of Warsaw opened the Workshop. The event was divided in two sessions.
The first session revolved around the main facts and trends about Labor Migration in the CEE.
First spoke Prof. Oleksii Pozniak, Director of Institute for Demography and Social Studies, at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Prof. Pozniak presented the results of a national wide sample survey on Ukrainian External Labor Migration [METOIKOS Warsaw workshop Pozniak presentation ]. According to the survey’s results, 1.5 million Ukrainian citizens work abroad. The main destination countries for Ukrainian emigrants are: Russia, Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Spain and Hungary. The main population of women migrants from Ukraine is concentrated in Italy. At the same time Ukrainians constitute the biggest migrant group in Hungary, Czech Republic and especially Russia.
Afterwards Prof. Ayse Caglar from Max Planck Institute presented the results of the METOIKOS case study on circular migration between Hungary and Ukraine [METOIKOS Warsaw Workshop Caglar Sillo presentation ]. She stressed that regional specificities, historical times (such as the current economic crisis) and national politics play a very important role in circular migration flows from Ukraine to Hungary. Prof. Caglar also pointed out differences between Ukraine – Poland, and Ukraine – Hungary circular migration. The main difference regarded the system of politics and the possibilities to get legal work in those countries.
Then Katarzyna Gmaj from Center for International Relations presented the most important points of the METOIKOS case study on Ukrainian circular migration in Poland [METOIKOS Warsaw Workshop Gmaj presentation ]. Her presentation focused on the different types of Ukrainian circular migrants identified by the case study as well as the different factors affecting the mobility of these migrants from Ukraine to Poland. She argued that the approach which treats migration as a household rather than an individual decision is critical in explaining these migrations. Central in this discussion, Gmaj went further, is the role of women in Ukraine who exert great influence in the migration decision-making process. Whether circular migrants should be the beneficiaries of immigration policy or not has been another question that the case study tried to respond. In this respect Katarzyna Gmaj presented the main responses that the respondents gave to the question: “what would help you the most to being in Poland?”. In particular, she noted that most respondents argued that a more permanent character of their stay in Poland would be greatly facilitated by a) the development of cost-effective services that would allow for cheaper money transfers, b) the introduction of more flexible visas that would allow work and c) the acceleration of the issuing of formal decisions on work permits. Regarding the last point, Gmaj explained that the delayed decisions over the migrants’ work permit applications indeed pose great difficulties in getting legal work in the destination country. Often migrants’ visas are rendered invalid while the cost of not working and waiting to start work legally is too much to bear for most migrants. This is why most migrants are pushed to start working illegally.
A debate on the main challenges and opportunities involved in circular migration for origin and destination countries was carried out during the second session of the Workshop.
The first speaker at that session was Monika Prus, Director of Migration Policy Department at Ministry of Interior and Administration. Monika Prus presented a paper on Polish migration policy, including facts, recommendations for circular migration and migration in general. One of the key elements of Polish migration policy, she explained, is the privileging of certain groups of migrants. Certain categories should have easier access to legal stay in Poland. This is true for both high and low skill migrants who play an important role in the labor and economic process. However, it is equally important to render the process of getting legal work easier for those who are exceptionally needed in the labor market. Regarding the issue of integration of migrants, she noted that the Polish case presents difficulties as regards the definition of the target group of integration policies. In particular, the majority of migrants come from Ukraine and more than 95% of the total of migrants in Poland regards temporary migrations, not settlement ones. The geographical and cultural proximity with Ukraine constitute the main factors behind the temporary character of migration in Poland. The other reason is the relatively low level of living and subsistence costs in Poland that allow migrants to accumulate capital and send remittances to Ukraine.
Furthermore, Monika Prus added that the repeat migration pattern and short work periods of most migrants in Poland are conducive to their description as circular migrants. She concluded that Polish migration policy needs to be tailored according to the priorities of the labor market and the competitiveness needs of the Polish economy.
Aleksandra Lange from the Labour Migration Unit of the Labour Market Department of Ministry of Labour and Social Policy took the floor after Monika Prus and discussed the concepts of migration and circular migration. Her intervention revolved around the concept of circular migration in EU policy. She argued that it is necessary to shift the existing migration policy from the exclusive concern with the avoidance of illegal workers to the actual management of available migrant workers. She argued that the creation of channels of mobility would complement the deficiencies of the Polish labor market and that circular migration is a mutually beneficial process.
Paulina Babis from Department of Assistance and Social Integration of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy spoke next. She talked about the forthcoming integration activities in her field. In response to the call for Action proposed by the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Labor decided to create a document on the Polish integration policy in January 2010. This document draws on the practices of other European countries and third countries that have a longer experience of immigration. Paulina Babis pointed to the role of the European Fund for Integration in the development of integration policy.
Ksenia Naranovich from the Foundation for Development “Beyond the Borders” noted that migrants usually find out about everything when they arrive in Poland. She drew attention to the problems most frequently reported by migrants; namely, circumventing the path of legal employment, buying statements from employers, and the prolongation of the procedure which provides social security number (PESEL). The other problem regards the extensive delays in acquiring the NIP employee number which is necessary in order to start the formal procedure for legal employment in Poland. As a result, illegal and undeclared work is very common in Poland. Furthermore,Naranovich noted that even when the employer commits an offence, the employee does not report it to the court. The reasons behind non-denouncing are the lack of knowledge, courage and translators. These issues, Naranovich concluded, are particularly important for permanent and circular migrants alike.
The contribution of Anna Siwiecka, Head of the Department of Insurance and Premiums from Department of Social Insurance (ZUS) was equally important. She explained that this bill does not include any definitions of seasonal work or workers. She stressed that the obligation to notify the worker to ZUS belongs to the employer regardless of he length of the contract.
The second session was closed with the presentation of the Polish National Contact Point of the European Migration Network, Ms Joanna Jaracz de Czartoszewska. She suggested more caution as regards the general assumptions on circular migration made by the European Migration Network. In particular, it is difficult to differentiate between temporary and circular migration. Furthermore she noted that the task of EMN is to provide accurate and timely information on employment. All research reports are available on the EMN website.
To conclude,Prof. Iglicka said that quantitative studies from other countries confirm the findings of the METOIKOS qualitative case study carried out in Poland. Migrants want to pay their contribution to the Social Insurance Institution themselves, but the system does not allow them to work legally. Part of the problem is the lack of information from the migrants’ side. The other conclusion of the workshop was that the Polish system of migrants’ access to the labor market renders the employee dependent to the employer.
All in all, the results of the METOIKOS project triggered a very dynamic and interesting discussion. It became apparent that each pair of countries studied under the METOIKOS project is characterized by specific experiences on circular migration. The volume and depth of the questions raised by the participants prove that circular migration is a critical issue in the European context.