Structural Factors of Post-Migration Inclusiveness: The Struggle for EU Free Movement as a History ofPossibilities, 1985-2015

This study approaches post-migration as migrants’ experiences of settlement and assimilation after migration. It reviews past debates held in the European Parliament (EP) since the inception of the European Union’s (EU) policy on the free movement of persons to examine the contrast between the principles of human mobility rights—upheld as core democratic objectives—and the actual difficulties encountered by migrants while integrating in host societies. The studied timeline ranges from the Schengen Area’s inception in 1985 to 2015, moving through the most impactful post-Cold War turning points in the European integration process. More particularly, this contribution focuses on the proposals and initiatives of the European Parliament’s (EP) pro-migration actors devoted to the defense of fundamental freedoms and rights over economic priorities and security concerns. These key players are members of progressive political parties at the EP who have been dedicated to advancing human mobility rights per se.[1] The Historical Archives of the European Parliament (HAEP) in Luxembourg reveal essential milestones in highly controversial discussions about the genesis and development of the EU’s free movement of persons and about the commitment to the social wellbeing of migrants in their post-migration phase; this commitment has been understood as a framework for the settlement and social integration of immigrants in host countries. These past discussions inspire us to unfold pro-human mobility rights potentialities in the face of pressing challenges today.