Text size
Line height
Text spacing
Freedom Of Movement
Last modified: Monday, 23 December 2024, 4:25 PM
Online series of courses on freedom of movement
Welcome to the online series of courses on freedom of movement proposed by ECAS, an innovative online course designed to provide comprehensive information on EU legislation on the rights to travel and reside freely in the EU.
An estimated 14 million European citizens live in an EU Member State which is not their country of origin. These so-called “EU mobile citizens” and their family members benefit from the right to move freely across the Member States of the European Union.
However, a series of conditions must be met to enjoy these rights fully. The goal of this course is to support local authorities, Civil Society Organisations, students, and policymakers who wish to empower EU mobile citizens in their free movement rights.
What is it for me – Learning Objective(s)
Upon completion of the course, learners will:
- Understand entry and residence rights of EU mobile citizens and their non-EU family members;
- Support EU mobile citizens with their registration formalities upon arrival in a new Member State;
- Apply EU freedom of movement legislation at the local level;
This Series comprise of 5 Courses:
The first part will present who the beneficiaries of freedom of movement are. Indeed, the right to reside and move freely in the EU applies to EU citizens as well as their (non-EU) family members. However, who can qualify as a family member? This module will introduce the definition of family members, and the possibility of maintaining residence rights in case the family tie disappears.
In the second course, EU rules related to entry rights will be explained in detail. Participants will gain a solid knowledge of what prior steps should be undertaken by EU citizens and their non-EU family members before entering a Member State of the EU, with a distinction between EU countries that do and do not belong to the Schengen area.
The third course will introduce the main components of EU residence rights legislation. The teacher presents the requirements for EU mobile citizens and their family members to legally reside in another Member State of the EU, outlining the different rules applying to stays under and over 3 months. Participants will also learn about the right to permanent residence.
Course 4 will focus on the freedom of movement rights of EU citizens who reside in the UK and may have benefited from the special rules provided by the Withdrawal Agreement. The purpose of this module is to support EU citizens in understanding whether they still have a right of residence despite Brexit and to help EU civil servants at the local level understand how to apply the content of the Withdrawal Agreement to UK nationals living in the EU.
Finally, a 5th course will invite participants to delve deeper into the freedom of movement EU legislation, with a comprehensive presentation of notions and concepts such as the definition of a worker, the requirement to possess comprehensive sickness insurance, and sufficient resources when residing in a new Member State. This module will also help participants gain a better understanding of the application of free movement legislation to unregistered partners and rainbow families.
Meet our Teachers
Dr Siobhan Duffy is a solicitor who previously worked in private practice and currently lectures in EU law. She is particularly interested in EU citizens’ rights and has worked extensively with NGOs and other organisations advising in this area. She is also a legal advisor for the Your Europe Advice service, answering questions in English and Irish.
Michaela Tejmlová has over 20 years of experience as a lawyer. She started her career working at the European Commission. Since then, she has collaborated with several organisations dedicated to helping Czech nationals and EU citizens, such as the SOLVIT Centre of the Czech Republic. She has been a legal expert for Your Europe Advice since 2011 and has worked as a mediator in the Czech Republic since 2015.
Galina Kostadinova has over 20 years of experience as a lawyer. She worked for the Ministry of Justice in Bulgaria and Minority Rights Group International and was a tutor in EU law at Exeter College, University of Oxford. She has been a legal expert for Your Europe Advice since 2006.
Dr Anthony Valcke has been qualified as a lawyer for 25 years and has vast experience in EU citizenship and the free movement of persons. He regularly litigates issues related to this field, most notably before the Court of Justice, and lectures on EU migration law at the University of Kent and the Brussels School of Governance. He has also served as legal advisor for Your Europe Advice since 2005.
This activity is co-funded by the European Commission, Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme under agreement 101140539.
