Divergent citizenship? The debates about social rights for migrants and native citizens in EU member states

14-16 April 2016 - Since the EU's pledge to remove obstacles to migration in 1957 movement of labour within the EU has increased. During the last 60 years this has generally been viewed as beneficial in the social science literature. Migrants have become better off as a result of moving, the countries they have moved to have benefited from increased productivity while their home countries have seen reduced spending on social policies and benefit from money sent from those abroad to relatives still living in the country. However, after years of increased migration from Eastern and most recently Southern Europe, in 2015 governments in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Austria are discussing plans to restrict EU migrants' welfare entitlements. The Court of Justice of the European Union has recently taken a more restricting approach in recent judgements, confirming to the member states that they can deny EU citizens access to special non-contributory benefits.

CPC members Traute Meyer and Paul Bridgen were pleased to attend the Council for European Studies 23rd International Conference of Europeanists in Philadelphia where they organised a panel on 'Divergent citizenship? The debates about social rights for migrants and native citizens in EU member states' linked to their work on The pension rights of intra-EU migrant workers. Paul and Traute's session brought together contributions exploring how far the access to social rights for EU migrants and native citizens has been equal in different areas of social policy and different member states. Participants investigated how member states want to change access for migrants and natives; why they want change; how and why reform proposals differ between countries; and what the implications might be for free movement but also for native citizens. The panel was attended by high profile academics from a range of disciplines, including Professor Daniel Wincot from Cardiff Law School, Cardiff University.

Posted 31/05/2016 11:38