From brain drain to brain gain
ENEastern and Central Europe are seeing emigrants returning - Brexit and the pandemic are major reasons. But they are not the only reasons. Over the last 30 years the opposite trend has been the rule: Former Warsaw Pact countries and countries liberated from Soviet-Russian occupation have seen millions of citizens moving to richer countries in Western Europe or leaving the continent. This development has accelerated for the 10 countries that joined the European Union in 2004 and 2007, since the borders to the rest of the union more or less opened for them once they became members. Lithuania and Latvia have lost close to 25% of their citizens since 1990; Bulgaria and Romania approximately 20%. In Poland, over two million people have left, primarily to the UK, Germany, France, and Ireland. Of course, over the years, some people have returned, although those leaving have always outnumbered those returning. Until now. The trend for more people to return to their home countries started as a trickle before Brexit and the pandemic - but has grown over the last couple of years.
