Free movement Commission asks the UK to uphold EU citizens’ rights.

The European Commission has given the United Kingdom two months to comply with European Union Rules on the free movement of EU citizens and their families across the EU or face the EU Court case. The Commission’s requests take the form of a reasoned opinion (the second step in a three step EU infringement process). The Free Movement Directive aims to ensure that the EU citizens can fully enjoy the rights to freely travel, live and work anywhere in the European Union. The Commission may refer countries that are not fulfilling their obligations to the Court of Justice of the EU.

The Free Movement Directive should have been fully transposed by the EU member states in their national rules by April 2006. Following bilateral discussions with EU member states, the Commission successfully resolved more than 90% of outstanding issues in the national implementation but certain obstacles remained. The Commission therefore launched infringement proceedings against Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Malta, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden, Poland and the United Kingdom during the period from March to October 2011.