How free is free movement? Dynamics and Drivers of Mobility within the European Union (MPI Europe)

The report explores how movements have responded to key changes such as EU enlargements, the end of restrictions on workers of new Member States and the economic crisis. The repot also examines the motivations for migration and impacts on labour markets.

Cover Page of MPI Europe Publication on Free Movement Drivers

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The new MPI Europe report "How free is free movement? Dynamics and drivers of mobility within the European Union" provides a detailed assessment of intra-EU mobility at a time when the system itself is under pressure. It explores how movements have responded to key changes such as EU enlargements, the end of restrictions on workers of new member states, and the economic crisis. The report also examines the motivations for migration (employment, family, study, and retirement), and discusses the impacts on labour markets, public services, and communities.

The report makes inter alia the case that:

  • Although the large-scale movements from east to west have dominated public rhetoric and academic research on intra-EU mobility, these movements are only a small slice of a longstanding, multidimensional phenomenon.
  • While rigorous evidence on the impact of intra-EU mobility is relatively scant, existing evidence suggests intra-EU mobility has had a positive impact on Europe overall, but that these effects have not been distributed evenly across receiving countries and regions.

The MPI Europe report, which also identifies a set of challenges countries may need to address as intra-EU mobility enters its next phase, is the first of two examining labour mobility in the European Union. A companion paper examines the integration needs of mobile EU citizens.

For more on MPI Europe and its research publications, visit www.mpieurope.org

Publication Date:
ma 18 mrt 2013
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