The Making of European Labour Mobility from a Socio-Historical Perspective - An Introduction

Abstract

This article provides an overview on the historical development and the current state of the implementation of labour mobility in Europe. In light of the present challenges of labour mobility within the context of the European Union (EU), we propose to shift the focus away from a predominant emphasis on the history of European integration and current events in the European Union towards a broader socio-historical perspective. This socio-historical perspective shows that the legal concept of the “freedom of movement” is by no means confined to the EU and its predecessors. An examination of the struggles and obstacles encountered in the implementation of the principle of free movement can be useful for an exploration of both the fundamental dilemmas and obstacles as well as basic features and practices of European integration and transnational institution-building.