Original scientific paper
Daily Crossborder Commuting from Slovenia to Austria and Italy
Jernej Zupančič
; Institute for Ethnic Studies, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
The paper deals with reasons, flows and consequences of daily crossborder commuting from Slovenia across “Schengen” border towards Austria and Italy. This form of international migration counts to important phenomenon in borderlands. In Slovenia, migration of working force has a long tradition, especially in surroundings of bigger urban centres. Following the results of field research work, done in years 2000 and 2001 (interviews with custom service and border police; questionnaires among crossborder commuters; structural analysis of borderland of both sides of the border), more than 14,000 Slovenians (among them approximately 8000 or 57% in Italy and 6000 or 43% in Austria) and 2500 Croatian citizens cross the Slovenian-Italian and Slovenian-Austrian border because of work. The most frequent border crossings are Gornja Radgona, Šentilj (both towards Graz and south Styria), Karavanke-tunnel (towards south Carinthia), Miren (local border crossing towards Gorizia and surrounding), Fernetiči, Škofije and Kozina (towards Triest in Italy). During spring and autumn the number is much higher because of season-workers. Daily crossborder commuters take different works in households, farms, but they can also be found among better-paid agents, business-makers and technical intelligentsia. According to the comparison of results in 2000 and 2001, the percent of higheducated specialists and agents increased evidently. Daily crossborder commution has important socioeconomic, spatial, demographic and ethno-cultural effects on borderland on both sides of the border. After some years, crossboder commuters collect many experiences from both sides of the border. In this way those people have better chances for intensification of further crossborder cooperation.
Keywords
border; crossborder cooperation; working migration; Slovenia; European Union
Hrčak ID:
107368
URI
Publication date:
30.9.2002.
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