ABSTRACT
Introduction The internal national borders of the European Union have become increasingly open in the last twenty years, leading, among other things, to a rise in the crossborder mobility of persons. Central to this are the Schengen Agreements and various directives and regulations1 that enable EU citizens to cross national borders for travel, leisure, work and residence. This article looks at cross-border residential mobility, a particular form of cross-border mobility where people relocate their place of residence a short distance across a national border, often maintaining close ties to the country of origins, particularly through work and HPSOR\PHQWEXWDOVRWKURXJKIDPLO\DQGVRFLDOUHODWLRQVKLSV0RUHVSHFL¿FDOO\ we look at people who are moving from Luxembourg into the neighbouring ERUGHUODQG DORQJ WKH0RVHOOH5LYHU LQ WKH*HUPDQ IHGHUDO VWDWH RI5KLQHODQG 3DODWLQDWH7KHGDWDFRPHIURPLQWHUYLHZVZLWKLQGLYLGXDOVFRXSOHVDQGIDPLOLHV who have relocated into one of four German villages where the research was conducted. The border in question and Luxembourg’s borders in general, even though somewhat exceptional for reasons elaborated below, are not unique in experiencing this cross-border residential mobility. Such mobility can be observed at several European borders that feature particular disparities, especially where an XUEDQDUHDLVDGMDFHQWWRDQDWLRQDOSHULSKHU\ZLWKUHVXOWLQJPDUNHGGL൵HUHQFHVLQ real estate prices.2
