The Politics of Intra-European Movement

Abstract

The politicisation of free movement can be understood as the outcome of a dialectic between positions underpinned by ideas of solidarity or hospitality. This is clearly seen in the tension over the choice of language when describing individuals that cross the borders between the member states of the European Union. This chapter explores how the concepts of solidarity and hospitality operate to construct and deconstruct arguments over free movement. It then traces how these have shaped and characterised the developing political story around intra-European movement. Impacts on cities and the local level emerge as an important theme for all sides seeking to win political struggles over free movement, but in an instrumental rather than an evidence-based way.