Introduction: becoming EU citizens consequences for Bulgarian migrants in Germany -- Background: history of Bulgarian migration to Germany -- Methodology: a time-location sampling survey among Bulgarians in Hamburg -- Migration patterns: empirical evidence beyond official statistics -- Labour market integration: analysing the impact of restricted freedom of work -- Political integration: exploring the electoral participation of recent EU citizens -- Naturalisation: explaining the exceptional willingness of Bulgarians to naturalise -- Conclusion: the unnoticed effects of EU accession
Summary
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. About the author Vesela Kovacheva is a researcher at the Centre for Migration Research and Integration Practice at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW)
