Annual European Report on the Free Movement of Workers in Europe in 2009-2010 December 2010 Rapporteurs: Prof. Kees Groenendijk Prof. Elspeth Guild Dr. Ryszard Cholewinski Dr. Helen Oosterom-Staples Dr. Paul Minderhoud Annual European Report: Free Movement of Workers in Europe 2009-2010 Network of experts The European network on free movement of workers within the European Union coordinated by the University of Nijmegen's under the European Commission's supervision: keeps track of legislation on free movement of workers and how it is applied; monitors how national courts interpret EU laws; raises awareness of the importance of free movement of workers as a fundamental right. December 2010 2 Annual European Report: Free Movement of Workers in Europe 2009-2010 Table of contents Executive Summary ..........................................................................................................5 General Introduction.........................................................................................................7 1. Economic crisis....................................................................................................................... 7 2. Free movement law and national immigration law ........................................................ 7 3. Workers in marginal positions............................................................................................... 8 4. Language requirements and recognition of diploma and qualifications................... 8 5. Positive developments ......................................................................................................... 9 Chapter I: The Worker - Entry, Residence, Departure and Remedies........................10 1. Introduction.......................................................................................................................... 10 2. Situation of job-seekers....................................................................................................... 16 Member States in which the position is unclear ............................................................. 16 Residence registration requirements................................................................................ 17 Registration with employment agencies and access to employment services ....... 17 Right of residence of up to six months or more .............................................................. 18 3. Other issues of concern...................................................................................................... 18 Chapter II: Members of a Worker’s Family ..................................................................21 1. The definition of family members and the issue of reverse discrimination................. 21 Definition of family member .............................................................................................. 21 Registered partnership and de facto partners............................................................... 23 Position of family members listed in Article 3(2).............................................................. 26 Reverse Discrimination........................................................................................................ 26 2. Entry and residence rights.................................................................................................. 28 3. Implications of the Metock judgment.............................................................................. 31 4. Abuse of rights, i.e. marriages of convenience and fraud........................................... 32 5. Access to work..................................................................................................................... 35 6. The situation of family members of job-seekers.............................................................. 37 7. Other issues concerning equal treatment (social and tax advantages) .................. 39 8. Concluding remarks............................................................................................................ 39 Chapter III: Access to Employment: Private sector and Public sector......................40 1. Access to employment in the private sector ................................................................. 40 1.1 Equal treatment in access to employment (e.g. assistance of employment agencies).............................................................................................................................. 41 1.2 Language requirements............................................................................................ 42 2. Access to employment in the public sector................................................................... 44 2.1 Nationality condition for access to positions in the public sector...................... 44 2.2 Language requirements............................................................................................ 47 2.3 Recognition of professional experience for access to the public sector.......... 49 3. Other aspects of access to employment ...................................................................... 50 Chapter IV: Equality of Treatment on the Basis of Nationality ....................................51 1. Working Conditions – direct and indirect discrimination .............................................. 51 2. Social and Tax Advantages .............................................................................................. 54 2.1 General situation as laid down in Art. 7 (2) Regulation 1612/68......................... 54 2.2 Specific issue: the situation of jobseekers............................................................... 55 Chapter V: Other Obstacles to Free Movement ..........................................................58 Chapter VI: Specific Issues.............................................................................................60 1. Frontier workers .................................................................................................................... 60 December 2010 3 Annual European Report: Free Movement of Workers in Europe 2009-2010 2. Sportsmen and women...................................................................................................... 62 3. The Maritime Sector ............................................................................................................ 63 4. Researchers and Artists....................................................................................................... 64 5. Access to Study Grants ...................................................................................................... 65 Chapter VII: Application of Transitional Measures ......................................................66 1. Transitional measures imposed on EU-8 Member States by EU-15 Member States and situation in Malta and Cyprus............................................................................................ 66 1.1 Transitional measures ................................................................................................. 66 2. Transitional measures imposed on workers from Bulgaria and Romania................... 69 2.1 Continuation of transitional measures .................................................................... 69 2.2 Case law ...................................................................................................................... 71 2.3 Data concerning EU-2 workers................................................................................. 73 2.4 Miscellaneous.............................................................................................................. 74 Chapter VIII: Miscellaneous ...........................................................................................75 1.Relationship between Regulation 1408/71-883/04 and Art 45 TFEU and Regulation 1612/68.................................................................................................................................. 75 2. Relationship between the rules of Directive 2004/38 and Regulation 1612/68 for frontier workers..................................................................................................................... 79 3. Existing policies, legislation and practices of a general nature that have a clear impact on free movement of workers ............................................................................. 79 3.1 Integration measures ................................................................................................. 80 3.2 Immigration policies for third-country nationals and the Union preference principle ................................................................................................................................ 82 3.3 Return of nationals to new EU Member States ...................................................... 83 4. National organisations or non-judicial bodies to which complaints for violation of EU law can be launched......................................................................................................... 84 5. Seminars, reports, articles................................................................................................... 86 December 2010 4 Annual European Report: Free Movement of Workers in Europe 2009-2010 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The 27 national fiches on the 2009-2010 implementation by the Member States of the rights of free movement of workers reveal much rich information about how EU citizens are able to access their rights