Brain drain and emigration within Europe continues

Two independent economic analysts commenting on an EU report on the brain drain recommend that the Hungarian government consider targeted tax cuts for young Hungarians to slow down emigration. A pro-government columnist likens pro-migration EU politicians to colonizers.

In Napi.hu, András Lovas-Romváry summarizes a report by CNBC according to which the emigration of young and educated individuals severely harms Central and Eastern European economies. In 2017 as many as 8.8 million citizens (one third of whom were under 35) from the region lived in other EU member states. Citing experts, Lovas-Romváry writes that, unless emigration trends are reversed, Central and Eastern Europe will never catch up with Western Europe. As a potential remedy to the problem, Lovas-Romváry mentions that Poland and Croatia have introduced special tax deductions for young people. He quotes experts who question whether these measures will be successful without boosting the birth rate or facilitating immigration in order to increase the ratio of the active population.

Portfolio.hu’s Károly Beke looks into the EU’s recent analysis on the brain drain which proves that the volume of emigration from Hungary is still one of the lowest in the region. He nonetheless thinks that copying Polish and Croatian tax policies could help Hungary slow down the outflow of young people. Beke suggests that the government could start future tax cuts by introducing a single-digit income tax for young Hungarians.

If EC President Von der Leyen considers the future of families, children and security important, she should help Central and Eastern Europe tackle the brain drain, István Pálffy writes in Magyar Nemzet. The pro-government commentator criticises other EU leaders who advocate globalization and mass immigration. Their policies, Pálffy speculates, divide Europe into colonizers and colonized. He claims that the leaders of the EU want to attract talented Central and Eastern Europeans to boost their social capital. As a result of this de facto colonial exploitation, Hungary and other countries in the region will lose their best people, without whom they cannot preserve their traditions and culture. If this facilitated brain drain continues, Hungary will never approach Western Europe in terms of well-being, and the whole region will be destabilized as migrants from outside Europe will arrive to replace the population that leaves for the West, Pálffy contends.

Tags: demography, Eastern Europe, emigration, European Union