Workers have the right to free movement in the EU, and existing obstacles should be lifted. But mobility should never be compulsory, and people –  especially young people – should not be forced to leave their home countries to find work.

The ETUC supports the EU’s Schengen system of open borders, which allows for people and trade to move without restriction between the 26 participant countries. It has been estimated that the collapse of Schengen would cost Member States some €28 billion, or 0.2% of GDP.