The Freedom of Movement of Persons is one of the four fundamental freedoms underpinning the European project as a whole.

Yet in recent times, several Governments have been calling for measures to restrict this freedom, using unsubstantiated arguments of the negative impact of free movement on their social systems.

It is in response to these developments that we are advocating for 7 Strategies to Improve Free Movement to call on the European Institutions to take seven concrete steps to ensure that freedom of movement rights are fully respected and enforced throughout the EU.

The seventh strategy calls on a pro- free movement counterfactual be developed to refute anti-migrant rhetoric.

The combination of enlargement of the EU, the ongoing financial crisis and disenchantment with mainstream politics has led to populist politicians making false claims about the free movement of persons in the EU and calling for withdrawal from the EU in order to re-assert control over migration policy. Regrettably, this vitriolic rhetoric has resonated with parts of the electorate in certain EU countries, as evidenced by the sizeable number of Eurosceptic politicians elected to the European Parliament. The worrying result – at least in the UK – is that mainstream politicians have started to echo the anti-migration policies advocated by these populist politicians.