The concept of supranational European citizenship has become one of the core concepts of the EU?s unique polity. It has, however, been one of the most difficult to actualise. This book examines the challenges of, and barriers to, exercising full citizenship rights for European citizens and considers how they might best be overcome. Drawing on cutting-edge research from interdisciplinary areas of study, this book examines the key issues surrounding EU citizenship. Reflecting on the diversity of European societies, it identifies, analyses and compares the many barriers that citizens face to fully exercising their rights. With chapters examining key issues from migration to democratic governance and social rights, Moving Beyond Barriers critically analyzes concepts of citizenship and the way that EU citizenship is politically, legally, economically and socially institutionalised, and elaborates alternatives to the current paths of realising EU citizenship. Citizenship issues feature prominently in the European policy-making agenda and the insights offered by this book will be of benefit to those with an interest in EU law, social and public policy and administration. Policy-makers and practitioners will also benefit from the reflections on citizenship and the practical guidance on how to move beyond current issues regarding EU citizenship. Contributors include: B. Anderson, W. Bakker, V. Baricevic, F. Cheneval, S. de Vries, D. di Micco, O. Eberl, M. Ferrin, M.-P. Granger, M. Hoogenboom, E. Ioriatti, T. Knijn, N. Kosti, D. Levi-Faur, M. Naldini, M. Prak, E. Pulice, M. Seeleib-Kaiser, S. Seubert, I. Shutes, M. van der Kolk, F. van Waarden, S. Walker, P. Wallis

This book investigates the changing patterns of labour market and unemployment policies in EU member states during the period since fiscal austerity took hold in 2010 during the deepest postwar recession in Europe. Looking at the big European picture, do we see a convergence or a divergence in labour market and unemployment policy trends and outputs? Has labour market insecurity increased or decreased and can these changes be associated with the observed changes in labour market policies and macroeconomic conditions? Written by leading experts in the field, the book provides detailed national case studies from across the EU, which span labour market regimes and intensities of fiscal pressures to explore whether, and if so how, retrenchment or expansion have taken place across different types of labour market policies and how these changes have been distributed across the well-protected and the less well-protected labour market populations.