Shifting Boundaries of Membership: The politicisation of free movement as a challenge for EU citizenship. Issue 1 (15th December 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Seubert, Sandra
• Is Part Of: European law journal. Volume 26:Issue 1/2(2020)
• Page Start: 48
• Page End: 60
• Publication Date: 2019-12-15
• Subjects: Law -- European Union countries -- Periodicals; European Union countries -- Social policy -- Periodicals; European Union countries -- Economic policy -- Periodicals; European Union countries -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; 344
• DOI: 10.1111/eulj.12346
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1351-5993

Abstract

Abstract: This article discusses freedom of movement under the lens of shifting boundaries of membership and traces the tension between the political and the economic rationale of European integration. It first reflects on the normativity of free movement and links it to the foundations of modern democratic citizenship. Subsequently, it discusses the role of free movement in the construction of EU citizenship and argues that the genesis in market integration casts a long shadow which hinders EU citizenship's potential to fully display the logic of political and social equality. Under current conditions of huge wealth discrepancies between member states, the prevailing form of horizontal integration necessarily brings about a tension between mobility and solidarity, which in turn creates a barrier for further developing EU citizenship. It is concluded that strengthening an intra‐European dimension of solidarity is needed in order to substantiate the right to move as an equal European citizenship right.