This paper links migration, cross-border mobility and return for development, in terms of citizenship, identity and approach to Europeanization. Taking into account the global changes in Moldova, the paper examines the perceptions of migration/mobility, return and identity of the Moldovans engaged in emigration in the countries of the European Union (EU). Using a multi-discipline approach and an in-depth qualitative interview technique, this article analyses from a transnational perspective how migration/mobility and return can support social change and development in Moldova and argues that people who cross EU borders, and who live through the experience of emigration, acquire a pro-European mentality.