Researcher Dr Emma Carmel gave expert evidence in the European Parliament on Tuesday.
Dr Emma Carmel from our Department of Social & Policy Sciences gave expert evidence this week in the European Parliament at Tuesday's Committee hearing on the obstacles to freedom of movement for EU citizens. Focusing on the portability of social security rights for EU citizens - their ability to transfer entitlements between different member states - her contribution emphasised the complexity of regulations at EU level and in member states. In practice, these regulations combine to create barriers that directly impact EU workers? social security. This drew on analysis and results from the TRANSWEL research project , for which Dr Carmel leads the policy analysis and the UK team. The three year cross-national study, funded by NORFACE, explores the regulations as well as experiences of EU citizens as they migrate between four pairs of EU countries, in order to understand how the system works and how it could be improved or better streamlined. From a survey of 1,400 mobile EU citizens - both temporary and permanent migrants - the project has found that in fact only very small proportions of workers apply to transfer their welfare and security rights, even when they may have earned these rights through their employment contributions. Barriers are produced by regulations that were originally designed to enhance social rights.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
