Original research article
Przegląd Europejski – European Studies Quarterly

Access of third-country nationals to the EU labour market as an instrument for achieving internal market objectives: comparative analysis of Poland and Germany

2026, No. 3

Bogusław Balza

0009-0006-9106-5126

University of the National Education Commission (Cracow, Poland)

DOI

10.31338/1641-2478pe.3.26.5

Publication date

24.09.2026

Submission date

31.07.2026

Acceptance date

20.08.2026

Publishing model

open access

License type

CC BY 4.0 Int.

Field

Social sciences

Discipline

political and administrative sciences, international relations, sociology, law, economics and finance, management and quality studies, social communication and media studies

Language of publication

English

Number of views:31

Number of downloads:0

Crossref citations:0

Altmetric score:0

Abstract

The article examines whether access of third-country nationals to the EU labour market has become an instrument supporting internal market objectives. Using the comparative analysis of legal acts, demographic situation and labour market in Germany and Poland, the author assesses the EU’s and national migration frameworks in the context of declining intra-EU mobility and labour shortages. The findings demonstrate two different models: Germany increasingly manages labour supply through selective, skills-oriented immigration, while Poland remains predominantly demand-driven. The migration of third-country nationals, therefore, complements the free movement of workers, and it is becoming an increasingly important condition for competitiveness and demographic sustainability.

Keywords:

European Union,Germany,Poland,free movement of workers,labour migration,internal market,third-country nationals,demographic ageing

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