Freedom of movement for workers

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(Redirected from Free movement of workers)

Freedom of movement for workers is a policy chapter of the acquis communautaire of the European Union. It is one of the four economic freedoms: free movement of goods, services, labour and capital.

Title III of the EC Treaty provides for free movement of persons, services and capital. Freedom of movement of persons includes, particularly, the free movement of workers, while freedom of movement of self-employed persons falls under the free movement of services.

Freedom of movement for workers deals with the employment of citizens of one state in another. This policy is a part of the general free movement of persons (dealing also with tourist and personal travels, border controls, visas and the Schengen Treaty). The free movement of persons includes the freedom of movement for workers and the right of establishment (residence permitting one to work without a permit either as an employee or as a self-employed person).

In the Treaty of Accession of the "new" member states of the most recent Enlargement there is a clause about a transition period before workers from the new member states can be employed on an equal, non-discriminatory terms in the old member states. The old member states have the right to impose such transitional period for 2 years, then to decide if to extend it for additional 3 years, and then, if there is serious proof that labour from new member states would be disruptive to the market in the old member states then the period can be extended for the last time for 2 more years. [1]

The same clause is written in the Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania, which both joined on January 1, 2007.

Also, the citizens of the member states of the European Economic Area have the same right of freedom of movement inside the EEA. Also, the European Union and Switzerland have concluded a bilateral agreement with the same meaning. Both EEA member states and Switzerland are treated as "old member states" in regard to the Treaty of Accession of the new EU members, so they can impose such 2+3+2 transitional periods.

It is not clear if the same rules apply to the Special member state territories and their relations with the EU. The right of people from these areas to work is connected to their passport and their Citizenship of the European Union. If they have a normal passport of a member country they can work. The right for people from Europe to work there is more unclear.

citizen of:	European Union																									Other EEA members			Switzerland	Acceding states		Other european Microstates				citizen of:
citizen of:	Portugal	Spain	Italy	Greece	France	Germany	Austria	Belgium	Netherlands	Luxembourg	Denmark	Finland	Ireland	UK	Sweden	Cyprus	Malta	Estonia	Latvia	Lithuania	Poland	Hungary ¹	Czech Republic	Slovakia	Slovenia	Norway	Iceland	Liechtenstein	Switzerland	Bulgaria	Romania	Andorra	Monaco	San Marino	Vatican City	citizen of:
to be employed in:																																				to be employed in:
Portugal		1986	1986	1986	1986	1986	1994	1986	1986	1986	1986	1994	1986	1986	1994	2004	2004	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	1994	1994	1994	2002	2007 ?	2007 ?					Portugal
Spain	1986		1986	1986	1986	1986	1994	1986	1986	1986	1986	1994	1986	1986	1994	2004	2004	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	1994	1994	1994	2002	2009	2009					Spain
Italy	1986	1986		1981	1958	1958	1994	1958	1958	1958	1973	1994	1973	1973	1994	2004	2004	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	1994	1994	1994	2002	2007 ?	2007 ?					Italy
Greece	1986	1986	1981		1981	1981	1994	1981	1981	1981	1981	1994	1981	1981	1994	2004	2004	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	1994	1994	1994	2002	2009	2009					Greece
France	1986	1986	1958	1981		1958	1994	1958	1958	1958	1973	1994	1973	1973	1994	2004	2004	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	1994	1994	1994	2002	2009	2009					France
Germany	1986	1986	1958	1981	1958		1994	1958	1958	1958	1973	1994	1973	1973	1994	2004	2004	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	1994	1994	1994	2002	2012 ?	2012 ?					Germany
Austria	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994		1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	2004	2004	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	1994	1994	1994	2002	2012 ?	2012 ?					Austria
Belgium	1986	1986	1958	1981	1958	1958	1994		1958	1958	1973	1994	1973	1973	1994	2004	2004	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	2009	1994	1994	1994	2002	2009 ?	2009 ?					Belgium
Netherlands	1986	1986	1958	1981	1958	1958	1994	1958		1958	1973	1994	1973	1973	1994	2004	2004	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	1994	1994	1994	2002	2009 ?	2009 ?					Netherlands
Luxembourg	1986	1986	1958	1981	1958	1958	1994	1958	1958		1973	1994	1973	1973	1994	2004	2004	2009 ?	2009 ?	2009 ?	2009 ?	2009 ?	2009 ?	2009 ?	2009 ?	1994	1994	1994	2002	2009 ?	2009 ?					Luxembourg
Denmark	1986	1986	1973	1981	1973	1973	1994	1973	1973	1973		1954	1973	1973	1954	2004	2004	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	1954	1954	1994	2002	2012 ?	2012 ?					Denmark
Finland	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1954		1994	1994	1954	2004	2004	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	1954	1954	1994	2002	2007	2007					Finland
Ireland	1986	1986	1973	1981	1973	1973	1994	1973	1973	1973	1973	1994		1973	1994	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	1994	1994	1994	2002	2009 ?	2009 ?					Ireland
UK	1986	1986	1973	1981	1973	1973	1994	1973	1973	1973	1973	1994	1973		1994	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	1994	1994	1994	2002	2012 ?	2012 ?					UK
Sweden	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1954	1954	1994	1994		2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	1954	1954	1994	2002	2007	2007					Sweden
Cyprus	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004		2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2005	2007	2007					Cyprus
Malta	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004		2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2005	2007	2007					Malta
Estonia	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004		2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2005	2007	2007					Estonia
Latvia	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004		2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2005	2007	2007					Latvia
Lithuania	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004		2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2005	2007	2007					Lithuania
Poland	2006	2006	2006	2006	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2006	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004		2004	2004	2004	2004	2006	2006	¹	¹	2007	2007					Poland
Hungary	2006	2006	2006	2006	¹	¹	¹	¹	2007	¹	¹	2006	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004		2004	2004	2004	2006	2006	¹	¹	2009	2009					Hungary
Czech Republic	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004		2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2005	2007	2007					Czech Republic
Slovakia	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004		2004	2004	2004	2004	2005	2007	2007					Slovakia
Slovenia	2006	2006	2006	2006	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2006	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004	2004		2006	2006	¹	¹	2007	2007					Slovenia
Norway	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1954	1954	1994	1994	1954	2004	2004	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006		1954	1994	2002	2007 ?	2007 ?					Norway
Iceland	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1954	1954	1994	1994	1954	2004	2004	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	2006	1954		1994	2002	2007 ?	2007 ?					Iceland
Liechtenstein	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	1994	2004	2004	2011 ?	2011 ?	2011 ?	2011 ?	2011 ?	2011 ?	2011 ?	2011 ?	1994	1994		2002	2012 ?	2012 ?					Liechtenstein
Switzerland	2002	2002	2002	2002	2002	2002	2002	2002	2002	2002	2002	2002	2002	2002	2002	2005	2005	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2011	2002	2002	2002		2012 ?	2012 ?					Switzerland
Bulgaria	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007		2007					Bulgaria
Romania	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007	2007						Romania
Andorra																																				Andorra
Monaco																																				Monaco
San Marino																																				San Marino
Vatican City																																				Vatican City

¹ The state chose to apply reciprocal treatment to nationals of the other states.
no restriction on freedom of movement of workers or restriction expired as of 2007; year of lifting of restrictions; 0+0+0 restricted movement of workers; year of expected lifting of the restrictions; 2+0+0 restricted movement of workers; year of expected lifting of the restrictions; 2+3+0 restricted movement of workers; year of expected lifting of the restrictions; 2+3+2 restricted movement of workers; no special agreement for their lifting