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Migration and Remittances in Macedonia: A Review

“…While official 2002 census data found 22,995 Macedonians living outside the country, estimations range from 350,000 to 2 million people (van Selm 2007, CRPM 2007. OECD statistics and national census data of immigration countries give a rough picture of Macedonians registered abroad (see table 2).…”

“…Austria, Germany and Switzerland represent traditional countries of immigration for Macedonians in the context of the guest worker movement, whereas Italy has established as a new destination region for Macedonian labour migrants. In recent years Macedonian authorities became increasingly aware of the Macedonian diaspora as sender of remittances and potential investor (van Selm 2007, IOM 2007, IOM 2009 …”

“…Because Macedonia borders two European Union states since 2007 (Greece and Bulgaria), transit migrants to the European Union now enter via Albania, Kosovo and Serbia, its non-EU neighbours. In the years to come, transit migrants heading towards the European Union through Macedonia are expected to belong primarily to the group of Albanians, as the Balkan route has become increasingly troublesome for migrants from other countries (van Selm 2007). Resulting from its geographic location on the crossroad between East and West, Macedonia also functions as a transit region for human trafficking and smuggling.…”