The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Migration Within the Countries of the European Union

Abstract

The COVID-19 virus was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan (China), and as early as January 2020, the World Health Organization expressed its concern and shortly afterwards officially declared a pandemic globally. This pandemic has brought the world economy, way of life, culture and migration to a state we have never encountered before. All countries within the European Union have at one time greatly restricted or banned entry and exit from their borders. Population movements and migration, like the economy, are most affected by this pandemic. Before the pandemic, the countries of the European Union had cultivated freedom of movement within their member states, but they were suddenly forced to impose severe restrictions and controls on their borders that prevented daily migrations of the population. The measures adopted varied from country to country, depending on the assessment of experts within them and on the number of those infected and the current epidemiological situation. Keywords: COVID-19, pandemic, migrations, European Union, Corona virus.