2025 April 30
Tens of millions of people move within and across European countries each year in search of better jobs, housing, or quality of life. People move for opportunity. However, when mobility is left unchecked or unsupported by smart policy, it can deepen regional divides.
Professor Leo van Wissen, project coordinator of PREMIUM_EU, points to a paradox in his recently published article in the open-access journal Open Access Government. Across Europe, many rural and less-developed areas are watching their populations shrink and age as younger, educated residents leave for jobs and services in bigger cities. Meanwhile, booming regions face infrastructure pressures, housing shortages, and growing inequality.
Bridging policy and research
PREMIUM_EU, short for
Policy Recommendations to Maximize the Beneficial Impact of Unexplored Mobilities in and beyond the European Union, aims to break this cycle. Rather than viewing migration as a simple drain-or-gain equation, it systematically examines how people move between regions, and what that means for the places they leave and the places they arrive.
By integrating data on mobility, regional development, and qualitative insights from migrant interviews, the project's
Regional Policy Dashboard helps policymakers navigate the complex feedback loops between movement and regional outcomes. It presents spatial comparative data and tailored policy inspiration to meet specific regional challenges, in a user-friendly way.
Why open access?
The article by Professor van Wissen encourages European regions to see mobility as a dynamic that, when managed wisely, can strengthen both ends of the migration corridor. That means identifying which types of mobility benefit which regions,and designing place-based policies that support both opportunity and equity.
Publishing in
Open Access Government reflects PREMIUM_EU's core commitment to turn insights into action. The open-access format ensures that the research insights are freely available not just to scholars but also to public authorities, community leaders, and citizens engaged in shaping their regions’ futures.
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