CELSI coorganized with ETUI and other partners a conference on "Europe at a crossroads. Which way to quality jobs and prosperity?" on October 24-26, 2014, in Brussels.

In the panel chaired by Ilaria Maselli of CEPS titled "Intra-EU labour mobility under attack. Why?", Mrs. Pytlikova presented her and Martin Kahanec's research on labour mobility within the EU. The panel addressed labour mobility in the EU: freedom of movement of workers, a core value of the EU is under pressure but at the same time also seen as a ‘crisis management’ or adaptation and adjustment tool.

The panelists Béla Galgóczi (ETUI), Corrado Giulietti, (IZA) and Mariola Pytlikova (CELSI and VSB Technical University Ostrava) tackled numerous issues: lessons after 10 year eastern enlargement; the crisis and its effects; cross-border allocation of labour and its "efficiency" (skills/job match) and the effect on welfare states ("benefit tourism").

The panel benefited from the insights from prominent audience representing institutions such as the European Commission as well as numerous professionals, scholars and academics working on labour migration policies. One of the many important issues that the participants highlighted was how to better align the often negative public perception about mobility and migrants in Europe with evidence provided by scientific research, which is generally on the positive side..