Introduction

Looking at international migration from Romania, one can distinguish various patterns of migration: people moving abroad definitively for permanent emigration, people leaving on a temporary basis and developing a more circular migration, and ‘trans-border migrants travelling for short periods of time between localities near the border’ (Sandu 2005b: 556). At the same time, studies on Romanian migration from rural communities have identified several migration processes taking place throughout the course of the last twenty years, happening at different paces and with different intensities (Sandu 2000, 2005b, 2006). This finding raises the key question of this chapter: Do rural communities in Romania converge or diverge with each other while undergoing stages of international migration? In other words, are they consistent or inconsistent with each other in relation to the processes, factors and circumstances that make each migration stage feasible and complete?

To better frame migration from the two Romanian villages studied, this chapter first introduces the context of Romanian international migration processes over the past twenty years. Figures on the number of Romanians abroad are vague. An estimated 2 million Romanians live and/or work abroad, but return on a regular basis to Romania. In addition, there is estimated to be another group of 300,000-400,000 who go abroad for short periods of time or visit relatives (Sandu 2007). Four main periods of migration can be identified after the fall of communism in 1989. These are 1989-1995, 1996-2001, 2002-2006 and post-EU enlargement of 2007. From 1989 to 1995, the main destinations were Austria, France and Germany. Migration to these countries was characterised by high selectivity and high costs. Other, secondary destinations were Hungary, Serbia and Turkey for cross-border trade and work in agriculture and in small factories. Due to a lack of opportunities to regularise one's status and more opportunities in Italy and Spain through regularisations, beginning in 1996 these countries grew in importance for migrants and have become main destinations today. The year 2002 constitutes the beginning of the third period. The costs of migration were significantly lowered once visa regulations for the entrance in the Schengen space were liberated. This further increased the number of Romanian migrants in Italy and Spain. Romania acceded to the European Union in 2007. However, the impact of accession on Romanian migration still needs to be explored.