Exploring the contours of a EU in-mobility theory: an opportunity-based approach to EU citizenship and the need of a EU «culture of mobility»

Abstract

Due to current mobility patterns, basically related to the economic crisis and recent enlargements, EU citizens’ free movement is being seen with fears and uncertainties by EU member states. This article explores the theoretical implications of the restrictions of EU in-mobility taking the ideal of EU citizenship as the main cornerstone, and it proposes an opportunity-based approach that can shape a potential EU in-mobility theory. Formulating these reflections from migration studies, I will also add arguments from the field of mobility studies, which allows us also to state that EU in-mobility is fundamental in the making of EU citizenship, European society and European legitimacy. Given the premise that governmental restrictions to freedom of movement are eroding the original idea(l) of EU citizenship, we may then ask: “how to transform EU in-mobility into a resource and an opportunity instead of a barrier and a risk ?”. At the end, I will argue that such EU in-mobility theory will need to address a “EU culture of mobility” in this new EU mobility age.

Keywords

• European Union
• member states
• citizenship
• mobility
• free movement
• opportunity-based approach
• EU culture of mobility