FantasticSearch

(1) The free movement of workers is a fundamental freedom of Union citizens and one of the pillars of the internal market in the Union enshrined in Article 45 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). Its implementation is further developed by Union law aiming to guarantee the full exercise of rights conferred on Union citizens and the members of their family. ‘Members of their family’ should be understood as having the same meaning as the term defined in point (2) of Article 2 of Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council , which applies also to family members of frontier workers.

(2) The free movement of workers is also a key element in the development of a genuine Union labour market, allowing workers to move to areas where there are labour shortages or more employment opportunities, helping more people find posts which are better suited to their skills and overcoming bottlenecks in the labour market.

(3) The free movement of workers gives every citizen of the Union, irrespective of his or her place of residence, the right to move freely to another Member State in order to work there and/or to reside there for work purposes. It protects them against discrimination on grounds of nationality as regards access to employment, conditions of employment and work, in particular with regard to remuneration, dismissal, and tax and social advantages, by ensuring their equal treatment, under national law, practice and collective agreements, in comparison to nationals of that Member State. Such rights should be enjoyed without discrimination by all Union citizens exercising their right to free movement, including permanent, seasonal and frontier workers. The free movement of workers needs to be distinguished from the freedom to provide services, which includes the right of undertakings to provide services in another Member State, for which they may post their own workers to another Member State temporarily in order for them to carry out the work necessary to provide services in that Member State.

(4) With respect to Union workers and members of their family exercising their right to free movement, Article 45 TFEU confers substantial rights for the exercise of this fundamental freedom, which are further specified in Regulation (EU) No 492/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council .

(5) The effective exercise of the freedom of movement of workers is, however, still a major challenge and many Union workers are very often unaware of their rights to free movement. Because of, inter alia, their potentially more vulnerable position, Union workers may still suffer from unjustified restrictions or obstacles to the exercise of their right to free movement, such as non-recognition of qualifications, discrimination on grounds of nationality and exploitation when they move to another Member State. There is, therefore, a gap between the law and its application in practice that needs to be addressed.

(6) In July 2010, in its Communication entitled ‘Reaffirming the free movement of workers: rights and major developments’ the Commission pointed out that it would explore ways of tackling the new needs and challenges, in particular in the light of new patterns of mobility, facing Union workers and members of their family. It also stated that, in the context of the new strategy for the internal market, it would consider how to promote and enhance mechanisms for the effective implementation of the principle of equal treatment for Union workers and members of their family exercising their right to free movement. The Commission also summarised developments in legislation and case-law, in particular with regard to the personal scope of the Union law on free movement of workers and the substance of the rights enjoyed by Union workers and members of their family.

(7) In the 2010 EU Citizenship Report entitled ‘Dismantling the obstacles to EU citizens' rights’ of 27 October 2010, the Commission identified the divergent and incorrect application of Union law on the right to free movement as one of the main obstacles that Union citizens are confronted with in the effective exercise of their rights under Union law. Accordingly, the Commission announced its intention to take action to facilitate free movement of EU citizens and their third-country national family members by enforcing EU rules strictly, including on non-discrimination, by promoting good practices and increased knowledge or EU rules on the ground and by stepping up the dissemination of information to EU citizens about their free movement rights (action 15 of the 2010 EU Citizenship Report). In addition in the 2013 EU Citizenship Report entitled ‘EU citizens: your rights, your future’, the Commission addressed the need to remove administrative hurdles and to simplify procedures for Union citizens living, working and travelling in other Member States.

(29) This Directive respects the fundamental rights and observes the principles recognised in the Charter in particular the freedom to choose an occupation and the right to engage in work, the right to non-discrimination, in particular on grounds of nationality, the right to collective bargaining and action, fair and just working conditions, the right to freedom of movement and residence and the right to an effective remedy and a fair trial. It has to be implemented in accordance with those rights and principles.

(30) This Directive respects the different labour market models of the Member States, including labour market models regulated by collective agreements.

(31) Since the objective of this Directive, namely to establish a general common framework of appropriate provisions, measures and mechanisms necessary for the better and more uniform application and enforcement in practice of the rights relating to free movement of workers conferred by the TFEU and by Regulation (EU) No 492/2011, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States, but can rather, by reason of the scale and effect of the action, be better achieved at Union level, the Union may adopt measures in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty on European Union. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve that objective,

(8) In the Commission Communication entitled ‘Towards a job-rich recovery’ of 18 April 2012 (the Employment Package), the Commission announced its intention to: present a legislative proposal (information and advice) in order to support mobile workers in the exercise of rights derived from the TFEU and Regulation (EU) No 492/2011, and urged Member States to: raise awareness of and access to rights conferred by Union law in relation to anti-discrimination, gender equality and free movement of workers and to open and facilitate access by Union citizens to public sector posts, in accordance with Union law, as interpreted by the Court of Justice of the European Union. In this context, the Court has consistently held that the restriction of access to certain posts in the public service to a Member State's own nationals is to be interpreted restrictively and that it covers only posts involving direct or indirect participation in the exercise of powers conferred by public law and duties designed to safeguard the general interests of the State or of other public authorities.

(9) Adequate and effective application and enforcement of Article 45 TFEU and Regulation (EU) No 492/2011, as well as awareness of rights, are key elements in protecting the rights and equal treatment of Union workers and members of their family, whereas poor enforcement undermines the effectiveness of Union rules applicable in this area and endangers the rights and protection of Union workers and members of their family.

(10) A more effective and uniform application of rights conferred by Union rules on the free movement of workers is also necessary for the proper functioning of the internal market.

(11) The application and monitoring of the Union rules on the free movement of workers should be improved to ensure that Union workers and members of their family as well as employers, public authorities, and other persons concerned are better informed about free movement rights and responsibilities, to assist and to protect Union workers and members of their family in the exercise of those rights, and to combat circumvention of those rules by public authorities and public or private employers. In that context Member States may also take into consideration the effects of increased mobility, such as ‘brain drain’ or ‘youth drain’.

(12) In order to ensure the correct application of, and to monitor compliance with, the substantive Union rules on free movement of workers, Member States should take the appropriate measures to protect Union workers and members of their family exercising their right to free movement against both discrimination on grounds of nationality and any unjustified restriction or obstacle to the exercise of that right.