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Employment - Social affairs - Health

5. EU Enlargement

Enlargement offers the Union the opportunity to redress the living and working inequalities which exist between Eastern and Western Europe, bringing member states one step closer to a more secure, economically-strong Europe. But there are fears that enlargement will also mean more jobs move east, stirring up feelings of parochial self-interest and prejudice. These are critical issues that the EU will need to address in order to keep the European project on track.

One of the fundamental guarantees of the European Community and one of the principles of EU citizenship is the free movement or mobility of persons to live, work or visit other member states without discrimination on the grounds of nationality. In practice, mobility also requires the persons who move to another member state be allowed to seek employment, receive equitable working conditions and all the advantages of integration into their chosen state. Information on mobility and European Court of Justice case law is available at the Free Movement for Workers portion of the Employment and Social Affairs website.

Article 39 of the Community code, which applies to “migrant workers” applies to nationals of one member state who leave to work in another member state. The Article does not apply to self-employed persons, students or inactive persons. Families of migrant workers have limited rights under Article 39, including equal treatment for education and social advantages. Restrictions can be applied under certain conditions

The free movement of workers from the 2004 and 2007 new member states (Eastern Europe and Mediterranean) may be restricted for up to seven years after accession. Read more