Updates, commentary, training and advice on immigration and asylum law

Renegotiating free movement within the EU

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I was asked by a Polish media outlet for comment in this Boris Johnson piece on renegotiation of EU free movement rules and the idea of quotas. Here’s what I said:

A quota for free movement of workers around Europe is impossible under the fundamental treaties of the European Union and would not be “free” movement at all. Renegotiation of one of the four fundamental freedoms that were the founding principles of the Union — people, goods, services and capital — is highly unlikely, and all the more so given that the UK’s governing party, the Conservatives, opted out of alliance with other centre right parties in Europe. Boris Johnson is right to say that the British electorate were misled to think that migration could be drastically reduced but he is guilty of a similar deception in suggesting that free movement of workers is negotiable.

As with the Conservatives’ “human rights plan” it is perhaps more accurate to this as a deliberate strategy for divorce.

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The Free Movement blog was founded in 2007 by Colin Yeo, a barrister at Garden Court Chambers specialising in immigration law. The blog provides updates and commentary on immigration and asylum law by a variety of authors.

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One Response

  1. Having seen recently Mugabe’s failed “indigenisation program” repercussions first hand, I fear the UK leaving the EU could have similar, if not as seismic, results.
    A fall in currency strength, rising internal costs, rising unemployment, falling external investment, international isolation; perhaps that is what Nick Clegg was referring to when he mentioned he didn’t want a “little England”.

    I agree Colin, the only way to control UK Borders is to leave the EU, as renegotiation is impossible.
    I think that ‘control of UK Borders’ in regards EU migration is totally unnecessary, as well as unconstitutional, and risks so much economically.

    The rise in UKIP is nothing more than the rise in racism in the UK. Hardly surprising when our kids are taught the false idea of “favoured races”.

    Please keep up the good work, Colin & Co., having pointed out previously that over 2m Brits live in the EU, that Freemovement is beneficial to Expats and UK tourists alike. Surely the ‘unforeseen’ popularity of a UK passport that caused backlogs for the passport issuing office this year, indicates Brits desires to travel. Now we have to show the “reciprocal” nature of overseas travel.