Twenty years ago, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia joined the most significant political, economic and cultural partnership. In doing so, they gained access to benefits such as free movement of goods, services, capital and people, as well as enjoying higher standards of living and working, and greater opportunities.
Since the 2004 enlargement:
- 26 million new jobs have been created across the EU, 6 million of which are in the 10 new Member States.
- Over 2.7 million young people from the 10 new countries have participated in the Erasmus+ programme.
- Poverty has declined significantly in the 10 countries as well: from 37% in 2005 to 17% in 2020, and the numbers are still going down.
Poland
Before its accession, Poland faced high levels of unemployment, especially among the young. Seasonal unemployment was also high, leading Polish people to seek work opportunities abroad, on the basis of international agreements on the movement of workers.
Poland’s accession to the EU brought a significant shift. Migration for work purposes continued, but under a different framework. The simultaneous opening of labour markets in the UK, Ireland and Sweden led to a mass migration of Polish people to these regions in search of better wages and living standards. EURES Poland became the main reference point for those workers, offering advice and tailored services to make their transition easier.
With the help of EURES, Poland became more determined to offer its people better work opportunities. “In the years 2004-2007, the largest number of international job fairs and recruitment events organised by individual labour offices took place in Poland,” says Katarzyna Kawka-Kopeć, chief specialist at the Ministry of Family and Social Policy, Poland’s EURES National Coordination Office.
Slovakia
Slovak workers also benefitted hugely from their country’s accession to the EU. The simultaneous establishment of EURES Slovakia opened new opportunities for jobseekers, offering assistance in their search, advice on living and working conditions, as well as financial aid opportunities to support job mobility via the EURES Targeted Mobility Scheme.
In its 20 years of existence, EURES Slovakia has organised 75 job fairs and 2,250 recruitment events. Its Advisers have supported 500,000 clients and published 21,000 job offers on the EURES Slovakia portal.
Miroslava Pangrácová, EURES Adviser at EURES Slovakia, commented on the network’s activities and overall contribution to the Slovak labour market’s transformation: “Slovak EURES Advisers spread awareness about the network at meetings with students at schools, career days, Europe Day or music festivals. What is more, EURES Slovakia supports cross-border mobility in collaboration with other partners.”
Looking for work in Europe? A EURES Adviser is here to help you.
Related links:
European Council – Council of the European Union: 2004 enlargement: facts and figures
European Council – Council of the European Union: 20th Anniversary of the 2004 Enlargement of the European Union – Member State natives commenting on how the accession has benefitted their country and changed their lives.
Read more:
Find EURES Advisers
Living and working conditions in EURES countries
EURES Jobs Database
EURES services for employers
EURES Events Calendar
Upcoming Online Events
EURES on Facebook
EURES on X
EURES on LinkedIn
EURES on Instagram
Details
- Publication date
- 17 July 2024
- Authors
- European Labour Authority | Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
- Topics
- EURES30
- Labour market news / mobility news
- News/reports/statistics
- Related section(s)
- Sector
- Accomodation and food service activities
- Activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies
- Activities of households as employers, undifferentiated goods- and services
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- Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles