The Unnoticed Effects of EU Accession: Evidence on Mobility and Integration of Bulgarian Migrants in Germany

Description

This study provides empirical evidence on the considerable but often unnoticed impact of EU accession on the mobility and integration of migrants from Bulgaria in Germany. Original data from a time-location sampling survey in Hamburg reveal that free movement not only induced a high level of mobility among EU citizens from Bulgaria after 2007 but also enabled their more permanent settlement in Germany. The study also provides statistical evidence that EU citizenship contributed to better legal integration of Bulgarian migrants in Germany, but national policies shaped to a greater extent their integration in terms of participation in the core areas of life. Restrictive policies such as transitional periods in the freedom of work hampered labour market integration and created more disadvantaged positions for workers. Inclusive policies such as the dual citizenship policy facilitated the naturalisation of settled migrants and led to exceptionally high naturalisation rates for Bulgarians that point to their successful integration in society. However, integration successes remain almost unnoticed in public discourse, which is dominated by the image of Bulgarian migration as a challenge. Acknowledgements Executive summary Contents Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables 1 Introduction: Becoming EU Citizens – Consequences for Bulgarian Migrants in Germany 1.1 The case of Bulgaria in Migration Research 1.2 Theoretical Considerations 1.3 Aims and Methodology 1.4 Structure of the Study 2 Background: History of Bulgarian Migration to Germany 2.1 The Cold War Period (1946–1989) 2.2 The Post-Cold War Period (1989–1993) 2.3 The Visa Period (1993–2001) 2.4 The EU Pre-Accession Period (2001–2006) 2.5 The EU Post-Accession Period (since 2007) 2.6 Summary 3 Methodology: a Time-Location Sampling Survey Among Bulgarians in Hamburg 3.1 Surveying Persons of Migration Background 3.2 The Choice of a Time-Location Sampling Method 3.3 Designing the Migrant Survey 3.3.1 Selection of Hamburg as a Location for the Survey 3.3.2 Selection of Locations for Data Collection 3.3.3 Questionnaire Preparation 3.4 Fieldwork in Hamburg 3.5 Sample Analysis 3.5.1 Weighting Procedure 3.5.2 Sample Description 3.5.3 Quality of the Sample 3.6 Summary 4 Migration Patterns: Providing Empirical Evidence Beyond Official Statistics 4.1 Explanations for Increased Migration After EU Accession 4.1.1 Reasons for Increased Migration 4.1.2 Patterns of Post-Accession Migration 4.2 Estimate of the Population of Bulgarian Background in Hamburg 4.3 Little-known Migrant Characteristics 4.3.1 Gender, Age, Education 4.3.2 Ethnic Composition 4.3.3 Motivations for Migration 4.3.4 Labour Status Before Migration 4.4 Duration of Migration 4.4.1 Residence Status 4.4.2 Circular Migration 4.4.3 Migrants’ Long-term Orientations 4.5 Migrants’ Broader Social Integration 4.5.1 Indicators of Cultural, Interactive and Identificative Integration 4.5.2 Views on Social Integration 4.6 Summary 5 Labour Market Integration: Analysing the Impact of Restricted Freedom of Work 5.1 EU Citizens in the German Labour Market 5.2 Level of Labour Market Participation: Indications From Administrative Data 5.3 Quality of Participation: Evidence From the Migrant Survey in Hamburg 5.3.1 Self-Employment as a Strategy for Circumventing the Transitional Periods 5.3.2 Brain Waste 5.3.3 Irregularities Related to Employment 5.4 Regression Analysis on Labour Market Participation 5.4.1 Self-Employment 5.4.2 Undeclared Work 5.4.3 Violation of Labour Rights 5.4.4 General and Migrant-Specific Factors for Labour Market Participation 5.5 Summary 6 Political Integration: Exploring the Electoral Participation of Recent EU Citizens 6.1 Political Participation of EU Citizens 6.2 Determinants of Electoral Participation at the Local Level 6.3 Electoral Participation of Bulgarian Migrants in Hamburg 6.3.1 Awareness of Electoral Rights 6.3.2 Willingness to Vote in Municipal Elections 6.3.3 Motives for and against Voting in Municipal Elections 6.3.4 Regression Analysis on Voting Intentions 6.4 Summary 7 Naturalisation: Explaining the Exceptional Willingness of Bulgarians to Naturalise 7.1 Naturalisation Practices of EU Citizens 7.2 Structural Determinants of Naturalisation in Germany 7.3 Individual Determinants of Naturalisation for EU Citizens 7.4 Naturalisation Practices of Bulgarian Migrants in Hamburg 7.4.1 Motives for and against Naturalisation 7.4.2 Who is Willing to Naturalise: Descriptive Results 7.4.3 Regression Analysis on Naturalisation Intentions 7.5 Summary 8 Conclusion: The Unnoticed Effects of EU Accession 8.1 Bulgarian Migration to Germany since 2007 Revisited 8.2 The Backlash against EU2 Migration in Germany 8.3 The Need for Future Research on EU Migration 8.4 Outlook for Future EU Enlargements References