The common economic space : what is the impact on migration to and from Belarus?

Abstract

On January 1, 2012, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan signed an agreement which created the Common Economic Space (CES). An integral part of the CES is the Customs Union which goes beyond mere economic integration of free movement of capital and includes far-reaching social implications inherent in the free movement of labour. This includes visa-free travel, co-ordination in the spheres of labour migration as well as illegal migration. Even though members of the CES have taken several steps to co-ordinate their migration policies, gaps in data sharing and availability still exist. Moreover, the degree of cooperation is uneven among the CES members with Belarus having a tighter relationship with Russia rather than Kazakhstan. While the CES contributed greatly to the ability of the citizens of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia to move freely among these states, it is still challenging for Belarus to attract highly skilled migrants. Migration flows to Belarus were high in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union and then gradually decreased and stabilised in the 2000s.