State of the Art and Future Challenges of Interregional Migration Empirical Research in Europe

In this chapter, we review the long-standing debate on the main determinants of interregional migration in light of the most recent advancements in Europe. Given the vast amount of empirical studies on inter-regional migration in this continent, we will concentrate on some topics that appear to characterise the European context. Starting from some stylized facts regarding mobility posing particular attention to the European Union agenda and its enlargement to the New Member States in Eastern and Central Europe, we will then discuss the extent to which the change in commuting patterns can represent an alternative form of spatial labour market adjustment given the high density of urbanization characterizing Europe. Finally, we focus on forced migration, that has afflicted (and still afflicts) the area in the last few years and is still among the main concerns facing the European Union because of its many related issues.