Baltic Rim Economies - Baltic Port List

Expert article 910 Baltic Rim Economies, 21.12.2011 Quarterly Review 5�2011
Summing up
Finland has become an immigration-receiving country as
the last one of the Nordic countries. The greatest number
of new arrivals has come from neighboring areas, i.e.
Russia and Estonia. Immigration to Finland is characterized
by being largely motivated by family-related migration.
Employment migration to Finland has at least so far been
minor. The growing economic cooperation between Estonia
and Finland will probably mean that, as a result of the
countries’ close geographic proximity, some segment of
migration will be replaced by cross-border work commuting.
In that case, some of the Estonians working in Helsinki will
continue to maintain homes on the eastern side of the Gulf
of Finland. Such cross-border employment regions have
already formed between Germany and Poland.
The population of the Baltic Sea Region is in decline.
The most troubling situation is in the Baltic countries,
whose populations are predicted to decline by as much as
10 % over the next generation. In addition to growing
migration, the plummeting birth rate is contributing to the
decline. For example, the birth rate in the Catholic Poland
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is currently approximately 1.4, at the same level as Italy’s.
According to family researchers, the Nordic welfare model
and particularly its family-friendly policies encourage
people to have children. Similarly, gender equality has
been shown to have a positive effect on the number of
children born.
Ismo Söderling
Director
Institute of Migration
Finland
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