Part I - Aligned Paths from the Treaty of Paris to the Single European Act

Summary

This part begins the investigation in the past and examines how economic and social objectives shaped the regulation of migration in the period from the Treaty of Paris to the Single European Act. In doing so, it proves that while the concept of sustainable migration is a recent one, the social and economic pillars of sustainability have been constantly guiding the development of EU migration law. Specifically, the balancing between economic and social considerations shaped the regulation of migration already from the establishment of Community law. The analysis further shows that during the years of post-war growth, the EU institutions’ approach to the regulation of migration was aligned for both Community and TCN migrants. Contemporary analyses of EU migration law emphasize the different rationales behind free movement and regulation of migration from third countries. In contrast to this, the investigation shows that during the early years of the Community law, all migrants were perceived as having the same function for the collective project of growth.