ABSTRACT
While it can be said that the European Union has transformed numerous aspects of European society, it has had no greater impact than on issues surrounding the movement of people. Early in the formation of what would prove to become the EU, its founding fathers recognized that in order for the great experiment to work it would be necessary to change the relationship between people and the state. This was a by-product of the initial economic purpose of the EU. As Geddes notes, during its infancy, the EU developed the concept of the four freedoms: ‘capital, goods, services and people’ (Geddes 2008: 43). While the first three freedoms naturally flow from traditional trade agreements, it is the last freedom that sets the EU apart from what has been attempted in the past. In order to fully capitalize on the opportunities provided by the other freedoms, the EU had to allow for the free movement of people throughout its economic zone. Over time, the movement of people within the EU necessitated even more laws, regulations and eventually the creation of European citizenship with corresponding rights. These changes forever altered the EU states’ ability to fully control their borders, their populations and their societies, all in the name of economic prosperity.
