Freedom of movement for workers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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.

Freedom of movement for workers deals with the employment of citizens of one state in another. This policy is different from:

general Free movement of persons (dealing only with tourist and personal travels, border controls, visas and the Schengen Treaty)
Right of establishment (residence permittance without permission to work either as employee or as self-employed person)
Freedom to provide services (for self-employed persons like artists, craftsmen, etc.)

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 (running out in May 2006), then to decide if to extend it for additional 3 years (until May 2009) 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 with 2 years (until May 2011).

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

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

¹ The state chose to apply reciprocal treatment to nationals of the other states.
no restriction on freedom of movement of workers; 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