@article {1137,
	title = {Liquid Migration Revisited: Two Decades after the EU Enlargements of 2004 and 2007},
	journal = {Central and Eastern European Migration Review},
	volume = {15},
	year = {2026},
	pages = {5-24},
	chapter = {5},
	abstract = {<p>The fall of the Iron Curtain in the late 20th century and the EU enlargements in 2004 and 2007 triggered significant migration from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) to the \&lsquo;old\&rsquo; EU member states, giving rise to what many consider to be a distinct form of migration. We coined the concept of \&lsquo;liquid migration\&rsquo; to describe this new, more temporary, flexible and unpredictable East\&ndash;West migration in Europe. Now, two decades after the EU enlargements of 2004, we explore whether circular, temporary and repeated migration patterns are prevalent in intra-EU mobility or if there is a shift towards settlement. As an empirical basis, we use a large collection of migration studies which refer to the concept of liquid migration. We found three different migration patterns. The first is permanent or long-term settlement. The other two are more transient but for different reasons. The second pattern is temporariness by choice: some CEE migrants opt for open-ended, flexible lifestyles and work careers. Other CEE migrants seem to be trapped in liquid migration, the third pattern. Even if they prefer to settle in a destination country, they appear to be unable to acquire the resources necessary for settlement.</p>},
	keywords = {intra-EU migration, liquid migration, settlement, temporary migration},
	issn = {2300-1682},
	doi = {10.54667/ceemr.2026.10},
	author = {Snel, Erik and Engbersen, Godfried}
}
