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This article investigates the determinants of temporary migration and the destination choices of migrants from a geopolitically important region in eastern Europe that borders Russia and the enlarged EU. We present empirical evidence from a novel survey simultaneously conducted in Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, five countries that share a common institutional and linguistic heritage with Russia. Temporary migrants from eastern Europe are less well educated than non-migrants. While the least educated migrants head for Russia, the higher educated move to the EU and the best educated to overseas destinations. According to unique information on pre-migration training courses, a non-negligible fraction of eastern European migrants to the EU is well-equipped with language skills and qualifications. However, since many labour migrants suffer from occupational downgrading or skill waste in the destination, the EU seems to fail in fully benefiting from the potential of eastern European migration despite the geographic proximity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the comparative analysis of the process of construction of a new cultural space with its specific history and its cognitive geography, securing a firm, which foots the intrinsic centre. Belarusian cognitive map in particular and the Eastern European one in general have their own specifics of a description of social reality. Particularly, philosophical discourse is usually used here as a main way of interaction between subject and social reality. First of all, the presentation aims at an investigation of the emergence of the Belarusian cognitive center through the writings of national intellectual history. This article intends to present the conceptual analysis of our recent attempts to re-conceptualize and to line up the contemporary Belarusian national space with related "big picture" of Belarusian thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]