Union Citizenship had originally not been aimed at going beyond some vague political notions, notwithstanding the potential impact of the proposals of the Spanish Delegation as expressed within the context of the preparation for the approval of the Maastricht Treaty. It was certainly not attempted to be the fundamental status of nationals of Member States (MS). Since the 2001 Grzelczyk case, history has proven us wrong. With this panel we aim to assess this very history of European Citizenship with specific regard to welfare policies.

Social policies such as education, research, healthcare, labour, and social security had long been assumed to belong to the MS realm, largely excluding any EU policy influence. Yet, the EU apparently impacts critically on national social policy, in large part due to rulings of the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU), especially on the basis of building the Single Market. Furthermore, it has been noted that Union Citizenship seems to become the fifth fundamental EU freedom. Case law of the CJEU in different domains such as higher education, health care and labour law offers indications for that assumption. That would mean a shift away from the market driven rationales and a shift towards a European Social Space.

In this panel, we welcome papers that explore the CJEU’s use of the notion of Union Citizenship to contribute to the renewal of definitions and redesigning national social policies and welfare systems.