I've just read an article that is arguing that the EU's Freedom of Movement principle is causing problems in Lithuania and Latvia because of emigration by large portions of their populations to more western European nations where they can earn higher wages. Lithuania's population, the author says, has shrunk 10% since it became an EU member; Latvia's from 2.7 million in 1991 to 1.7 million now; Estonia's by 20% since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
These drops in population "[lead] to skills shortages, which inhibit economic growth and further exacerbate emigration problems. When the moral case is made for high levels of immigration... the negative impact of mass emigration on the countries left behind always seems to be forgotten.
Interesting point. I hadn't though of it that way round.
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