Abstract
The authors examine migration as one of the urgent problems of the modern global world. The phenomenon of migration has been indispensable for human history, culture, and civilizations, the causes of which have always existed and still exist. All sorts of wars, confrontations/conflicts turn a group of society into refugees and push them to migrate from the source of conflict to neighboring or distant countries. Also, the underlying causes, such as social, political, economic, and other factors, which are inherent of the domestic and foreign policy of any country, are considered as an important aspect. The chapter also reviews the migration profile of Georgia and Ukraine. Particular attention is paid to migration as a result of conflicts/ethnic conflicts instigated by Russia, Russian occupation, as well as other migration inducing factors. It is concluded that the migration policy solves not only the problems of migration, but also the tasks of economic development, respect for human rights, etc.
TopIntroduction
Migration is one of the important components of the global world, that is accompanied by both positive and negative aspects and includes many interconnected indicators, such as political, economic, social, cultural, etc. Migration is not only a recent phenomenon, it is also the result of global processes. Migration can be defined as the process of movement both across international borders and within a country. Migration was a subsequent process of civilizations, that included a wide category of society in its content; In modern literature, they are called refugees, displaced persons, internally displaced persons, and economic or environmental migrants.
According to Etzo Ivan, the migration phenomenon classification scheme is based on three different aspects. The first aspect concerns the management of migration flows and distinguishes between international and internal migration. International migration studies cover the movement of people between countries, while internal migration involves the movement of people across national borders (Etzo, 2008). The second important aspect is related to migration modeling, where the main difference is between micro and macro approaches. The micro approach covers the behavior of individuals, while the macro approach focuses on countries and regions. The third aspect includes identifying the determinants of migration and studying the consequences of migration (Cadwallader, 1992).
Migration is increasingly important, even though the majority of today's population movements still are internal and take place in poor countries with high rates of population growth and rural-urban migration. Some 3% of the total world population was born outside the country where they are currently living. The impact is, however, far greater than this percentage suggests. International migration not only touches the lives of the migrant population but also influences the lives of nonmigrant populations. Once people decide to cross borders and settle in other countries, both their personal life and that of their families they leave behind will profoundly change, not only economically, but also socially and culturally. This also applies to the people with whom they live and communicate within the localities and regions of settlement. Contemporary migration manifests itself in all corners of the globe and transforms entire societies as a consequence of a constant stream of people leaving and/or entering (Naerssen & Annelies, 2007).
The reasons for migration are varied. It can be political and economic in nature. In addition, there are contrasting reasons for migration, such as forced and tragic reasons (for example conflict). It should be noted that economic disparity between countries, the growing level of intolerance, as well as the threat of climate change and its consequences are important factors that lead to migration and population displacement.
According to the authors, in general, there are two types of migrants: humanitarian and economic. Humanitarian migrants are asylum seekers and refugees; While economic migrants migrate abroad in search of higher wages and better opportunities, or at least to escape the social and political situation in their country. Economic migrants have more choices than humanitarian migrants when determining their destination. Some environmental migrants change their place of residence due to environmental conditions and may choose to migrate out of their state to other places with more favorable environmental conditions.
Key Terms in this Chapter
North Atlantic Treaty Organization: An intergovernmental military alliance to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. The NATO alliance includes countries in both Europe and North America, which creates an important transcontinental link that allows member nations to cooperate when it comes to defense and security. Member states also consult and work together when a multinational crisis develops involving non-members.
United Nations: An international governing body formed in 1945 to increase political and economic cooperation among its member countries. It has five principal parts, including the U.N. Economic and Social Council, which coordinates the work of 15 specialized agencies.
International Monetary Fund: An international organization that promotes global economic growth and financial stability, encourages international trade and reduces poverty. The IMF was created in 1945 as part of the Bretton Woods agreement, which attempted to encourage international financial cooperation by introducing a system of convertible currencies at fixed exchange rates. One of the IMF's most important functions is to make loans to countries that are experiencing economic distress to prevent or mitigate financial crises.
Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas: Part of Association Agreements that have been signed between the European Union and Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. The main intention of DCFTA agreements is to create preferential trade relationships, based on mutually advantageous treatment, giving each other better access to their markets than that offered to other trade partners. DCFTA agreements cover a range of topics like lifting technical trade barriers, reducing tariffs, quotas for the trade, approximation of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, securing intellectual property rights, ensuring fair competition, transparent public procurement also other issues to align rules of operation for businesses in trade partner countries.
Association Agreement: A legally binding agreement between the EU and third countries. It is one of three special types of international agreements. It is aimed to foster close relationships between the EU and countries on a wide range of topics.
Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development: An international organization that was established on Dec. 14, 1960, by 18 European nations, plus the United States and Canada. It is a group of 37 member countries that discuss and develop economic and social policy. Members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are typically democratic countries that support free-market economies. The stated goal of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is to shape policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity, and well-being for all.
Temporary Protection Directive: An EU law that was introduced in 2001. The Directive created a special procedure to deal with a 'mass influx of people in need of international protection. The Directive sets out the minimum standards for giving protection to people in the event of a mass influx. Individual EU countries can grant additional rights, but cannot provide less than what is set out in the Directive. The Directive applies to all EU countries except Denmark. The Directive defines ‘mass influx’ as a ‘large number of displaced persons, who come from a specific country or geographical area.’ There is no minimum number of people needed for it to be considered a mass influx.
Internally Displaced Persons: Persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized state border.
International Organisation for Migration: An International Organisation for Migration: An inter-governmental organization founded in 1951. It possesses a full juridical personality and became a related organization of the United Nations (UN) system in 2016. The IOM was founded at the same time and is complementary to the UN High commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) with which it works according to a 1997 memorandum of understanding.IOM has been focusing on the complex dimensions of the water-migration nexus through both its policy and operational works.
European Union: An international organization comprising 27 European countries and governing common economic, social, and security policies. Originally confined to western Europe, the EU undertook a robust expansion into central and eastern Europe in the early 21st century. The United Kingdom officially withdrew from the European Union at the beginning of 2020, in a move known as Brexit.