The Lithuanian report, a video entitled 'UK academics claim that Lithuanian immigrants contribute to the growth of UK economy' (in Lithuanian) features Hein de Haas (IMI), Chris Wilson (COMPAS), and Jon Simmons (Home Office).
The report denies the myth that immigrants from Lithuania receive more than they give and the UK's migration policy being linked to its membership in the EU, this unable to be subject to radical change. Jon Simmons discusses the UK position on ensuring the same welfare system for everone living in the UK, regardless of being a UK or other EU citizen. Chris Wilson outlines the fact that public opinion about immigrants in the UK varies from region to region in the UK.
The interviews were done during a visit to Lithuania for a conference of the 'European Migration Network' in Vilnius. At the conference, Hein was a discussant on the closing panel 'A way forward: exploring future scenarios'. The panel addressed several key questions: What could be EU priorities in labour migration area? How the economic crisis and Arab spring will impact labour migration policy? How to plan migration policy in high uncertainty? What can we learn from earlier predictions?