Three percent of Europeans are currently living in an EU member state other than their country of origin.
Mobility, traditionally low in Europe, has increased since the Eastern enlargements due to the widening income differentials in a zone of free movement of people.
It tended to shrink during the initial phase of the global crisis that Europe experienced starting in 2008, before bouncing back in 2010, partly reflecting the increasing economic disparities within Europe.
Nevertheless, the contribution of mobility remains low in the adjustment of European labor markets and has not returned to pre-crisis levels: the flows remain below the peak of 2007-2008 observed during the enlargement to Bulgaria and Romania, and the community living in another member state, which had been growing by 10% per year since 2004, has only been increasing by 4% per year since 2008.
The direction and geography of intra-community mobility only partially correspond to performance and job creation differentials.
Two types of flows are increasing: those from the south to the north, driven by the divergences within the euro area, and those from the east to the west, numerically the most numerous, driven by differences in living standards.
In this sense, migrations within the Union remain overdetermined by demography, freedom of movement, income differentials, and diasporas.
The European population migrating to another member state of the EU 25 averaged 1.3 million per year between 2004 and 2008; it decreased to 0.9 million per year in 2009-2010 before recovering to 1 million per year in 2011-2012.
