Introduction

Unlike settler societies such as the United States or Australia, European nation-states generally do not perceive of themselves as countries of immigration. The politics of migration has been a fashionable research topic in the last 40 years or so, with Zolberg (1978) initiating the line of inquiry in the North American context. In European political discourse, 'migration' and 'mobility' represent two entirely different things. Across the continent, migration has been portrayed as a problematic and mostly negative phenomenon, whereas mobility tends to be viewed positively as an important element increasing people-to-people contacts and economic growth. Europe perceives of itself as the birthplace of human rights. It has a powerful human rights framework, formulated in the European Convention of Human Rights, executed through the European Human Rights Court. The chapter also presents the scope and organisation of the book.