EU rights and policies

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This subtopic concerns matters relating to EU social and economic rights and policies, including the four freedoms underpinning the EU Internal Market:

  1. •

    free movement of goods

  2. •

    freedom of establishment and to provide services

  3. •

    free movement of capital

  4. •

    free movement of persons

Freedom of establishment and to provide services are closely related and can be regarded as, in effect, one ‘freedom’.

Social rights

Most social and employment legislation in the EU is the responsibility of individual Member States, but certain aspects of employment and social protection are affected by EU legislation. There would be no economic and social cohesion without a legal framework to ensure fair treatment for all citizens, and to ensure that businesses are not incentivised to move to areas where labour is cheaper. However, social policy is closely linked to the political ethos of national governments, so increasing competence at the EU level creates tension with Member States.

Although social policy is a shared competence, this competence has been increasingly exercised by EU institutions while stopping short of harmonising laws across the EU. Embedded into the aims of the EU,

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