Research Description

Romanians: Migration Backlash

With each enlargement, the European Union increases the restrictions of freedom of citizen movement of the new member-states. Romania is one of the last countries to become a member of the EU with the 2007 enlargement. Thus, I propose to study the reception of the Romanians in an old member-state, Portugal. The emigration of the Romanian community to Portugal is a new phenomenon not being precisely analyzed at the moment. The increase of the Romanian community in Portugal has fostered the possible creation of stereotypes and xenophobia. I plan to show the barriers that emerge for the Romanian community in Portugal and how the integration process reverberates in this country taking into account that both the European Union and Portugal do not seem to have found, as of yet, a clear plan of ethnic integration. I am interviewing a slew of individual persons from the Romanian and Portugal community as well as particular associations to determine the barriers that emerge as a Romanian immigrant arrives in a new country in this case Portugal. Therefore with this project, I am hoping to be able to explain the particular barriers that are raised in the integration of a new community in the EU. As a real-world application, the research will highlight the problematic hurdles of integration of a new member states with old member states and which can be used visualize possible solutions for these identified barriers that exist and thus be used as an example for future remedy for new EU members.