Why Compensating the ‘Stayers’ for the Costs of Mobility Is the Wrong Way to Go

Abstract

Like most of the previous respondents, I agree with Ferrera that the unequal division of the costs and benefits of free movement calls for action. My main criticism concerns his proposal to compensate non-mobile citizens. In my response, I shall expand on Christian Joppke’s critique of Ferrera’s presumption that ‘moving’ causes harm that ‘stayers’ should be indemnified for. I argue als that there is a real possibility that in its current form the EU cannot achieved the required social union. This would mean that due to the internal constitution of the EU, EU citizenship couldn’t fulfill its integrative functions. Given the enormous problems the EU is facing, we have to take this possibility very seriously.