The authoritative source for independent research on UK-EU relations

06 Nov 2017

Free movement after Brexit – policy options

This paper, by Professor Jonathan Portes, examines whether it would be possible to modify the operation of free movement of persons between the UK and the European Economic Area in ways that would allow the UK to remain in the Single Market after Brexit, temporarily or permanently.

It concludes that such modifications are practical and feasible; they would preserve the principle that EEA citizens could move to the UK to look for and take up work, while giving the UK public greater assurance that migration from the rest of the EEA was monitored and, where appropriate, controlled. In particular, the introduction of a “Swiss-style” system of temporary and targeted region and/or occupation specific controls on the employment of new EEA migrants would be feasible.

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