ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the motivations behind emigrants’ decisions to leave Europe, and their experiences finding their place outside of it. The majority of participants expressed their support for stronger involvement of the European Union (UN) with EU citizens abroad. The survey’s objective was to gain insight on Europe from the perspective of EU citizens living abroad, as well as their descendants who qualify for EU passports. It examined migration trajectories, motivations for emigration, identification with Europe and possible claims emigrants might have for the EU, as opposed to their countries of origin. The low level of participation may be explained by low levels of interest in the questions of European integration among the established “old” diaspora organizations, and generally low levels of interest in the EU by migrants themselves, as the results of the analysis in the previous chapter attest.
