European Union think tank to give evidence on free movement of people after Brexit
The House of Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee will continue its inquiry into movement of people between the UK and the EU on Wednesday 18 January. The Committee will take evidence from the Migration Advisory Committee as well as European Union think tanks Bruegel, Centre for European Reform and Open Europe.
At 10:30am the Committee will hear evidence from:
- Mr. Zsolt Darvas, Senior Fellow, Bruegel
- Ms Camino Mortera-Martinez, Research Fellow and Brussels Representative, Centre for European Reform
- Mr Stephen Booth, Acting Director and Director of Policy and Research, Open Europe
The evidence session provides the opportunity for the Committee to explore with the witnesses possible alternatives and modifications to free movement and to what extent third country examples offer lessons for the UK.
The Committee is likely to ask:
- What provisions are likely to be included in the UK's withdrawal treaty with the EU about future flows of EU citizens to the UK and UK citizens to the EU?
- If the UK renounced free movement and adopted a more restrictive approach, do you anticipate the UK and/or EU would nonetheless seek reciprocal, preferential treatment for their citizens (compared to the citizens of third countries) in the other party's immigration system?
- What is the likelihood of the EU-27 being prepared to contemplate allowing the UK to re-introduce labour market restrictions of the kind that are permitted during transitional periods after new member states join the EU?
At 11:30am the Committee will hear evidence from:
- Professor Alan Manning, Chair, Migration Advisory Committee
The Migration Advisory Committee is an independent, non-departmental public body established in 2007 to advise the government on migration issues.
Questions he is likely to face include:
- Can you explain how the immigration rules for non-EU migrants taking up employment in the UK currently work and which routes are the most popular in terms of numbers admitted?
- If the sectors currently most reliant on EU migrants to fill low and medium-skills jobs were no longer to have access to EU migrants, could the existing stock of low-skill workers compensate for the loss of new EU migrants arriving to some extent?
- Can you elaborate on the connection between the availability of migrants to fill jobs (low- and high-skill) and the incentives for employers and individuals to invest in training and skills?
The evidence sessions will start at 10:30am and 11:30am on Wednesday 18 January in Committee Room 3 of the House of Lords.
