HARMONIZATION OF EU IMMIGRATION POLICY AND PUBLIC OPINION ABOUT IMMIGRATION IN WEST AND EAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Europeanization of the European Union Immigration policy is a widely debated topic in recent years. Achieving a common immigration policy has been one of the central aims of the European Union. This paper analyzes the theories of European integration with regard to creating a harmonized immigration policy and argues that public opinion in member states will be the main determinant of the success of these efforts. Therefore, a detailed analysis of public attitudes towards immigration both in Western and the newly admitted Eastern countries is necessary. The results of my analysis show that West and East European public opinion significantly differs in terms of attitudes towards immigration which might prevent to achieve a harmonized EU immigration policy