East Europe Migration

• The EU has an 'open door' policy with trade and people allowing them to move freely between member states 
• in January 2004 the A8 countries joined the EU - Poland, Czech Republic, Estonia, Slovakia, Latvia, Slovenia, Lithuania and Hungary 
• the biggest number of migrants went to the UK compared to any other country in the EU 
• the amount of migration rapdily grew between Januwary 2004 and January 2007 
• most of the migrants found low paid and temporary employment in the agriculture and catering sectors
• in 2003, the UK government estimated that number of migrants that would come to the UK was around 40,000 but in 2004 when the borders opened to them there was around 200,000 migrants that came to the UK 
• in 2007 the A2 countries (Romania and Blugaria) joined the EU but had restrictions placed on their migration - these restrictions were lifted in 2013 
• the economic recession started in 2008 which slowed down the fow of migrants between countries 

Pull factors for A8 migrants 

• lots of the migrants came for jobs and opportunites which a…