Migration in European Integration: Debates and Themes

This article discusses the contribution made by historians, particularly historians of European integration, to study of the problem of migration. In particular, it examines the most important historiographical debates on this topic until today. It analyses the main interpretations of the origins of the freedom of movement for Community workers and, later, for all citizens. It also summarises the state-of-the-art historical research on the complex relationships between freedom of movement and European social policy. Moreover, it gives accounts of the main historiographical approaches to the role played by restrictive migration policies on the external relations and enlargement strategies of the European Communities. Lastly, it explores the most authoritative theories about the origins and impact of the Schengen system. The article concludes that European integration historians’ research on the problem of migration has been rich and insightful, but that it now urgently needs new ideas and new methodologies.