Re: Reader feedback: American spouses hold them back, Volume 12, Number 07, February 20 - February 26, 2006
That is quite an interesting résumé. People are also moving within the EU. Some 2 percent of the EU workforce has shifted to live and work in an EU state other than their own. Brussels finds that percentage too low, and wants to encourage increased movement. To that effect, it conducted a survey that showed 50 percent of EU citizens would be hesitant to relocate on account of language, but the other half would seriously consider it if a good opportunity (income and career-wise) arose. As a result, Brussels introduced a website where around one million positions from all over the EU are [to be] advertised. The site became operational yesterday: http://europa.eu.int/eures/home.
At the core of this initiative lies the idea that EU citizens should learn to see the EU as a unit, i.e. that the entire EU is their home turf, not merely their own country.
If one looks at the [current] Olympic games, though, one could argue that EU countries compete individually, sort of indicating that no kind of real unity is yet to be found. On the other hand, Hong Kong (since 1997 again part of the PRC) is competing separately, as is Alaska (since 1959 part of the US).
Since the Slovak problem of a low birth rate and a migration and brain drain will likely only be felt sometime in the future, that future might not be so bleak if Brussels succeeds in overall increased movement within the union.
Oscar,
Radošovce
