This paper examines the impact of labour migration on unemployment in the context of the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU and the EU’s rules on the free movement of workers. In particular, it addresses two questions. First, does intra-EU labour migration correlate with employment/unemployment rates in host or home member states during periods of unsettled growth? Second, how have member states reacted in terms of restricting or allowing access to their labour markets by EU-2 workers during the transitional periods?

Sergio Carrera is Senior Research Fellow and Head of Section at the Justice and Home Affairs Section at the Centre for European Policy Studies, where Elspeth Guild is Associate Senior Research Fellow.