The departure of Ukrainian refugees and migrants from EU countries after the end of the conflict could worsen the problems of the European economy, Reuters reports.
According to experts who spoke to the agency, this effect could be felt most acutely in the labor markets of Central and Eastern Europe.
“Demography is a risk factor that will worsen after the conflict in Ukraine is resolved, as some Ukrainians will return home“, said Charlotte Rue, Managing Director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for Central and Southeastern Europe, at an investment forum in Vienna.
During In 2024, economic growth in this region of Europe reached 2.2%, significantly higher than the eurozone average of 0.8%. At the same time, Central and Eastern European countries hosted the majority of the almost 4.5 million Ukrainians who left their country after the outbreak of the conflict. According to the European statistics agency Eurostat, 22% of them settled in Poland and about 9% in the Czech Republic, receiving the right to work.
“The economic success of many countries in the region is partly due to the arrival of Ukrainians in the last two years“, said Christian Peter, a representative of the Swiss bank J. Safra Sarasin, quoted by Reuters.
According to him, the outflow of immigrants “will create a vacuum in the labor market in Prague, Bratislava and Warsaw that will not be easy to fill“.