Regulation that Defies Gravity - Policy, Economics and Law of Legal Immigration in Europe

Abstract

This article offers an assessment of EU directives in the field of legal immigration in the light of the Union’s own claims of economic rationale behind its immigration policy. While stopping short of economic analysis of law, the work pinpoints the areas of EU immigration law of relevance to economists in future immigration research in the European context, and to policy makers when enacting immigration laws. It is argued that, contrary to the political discourse, EU immigration law is inconsistent with the objectives of EU immigration policy and fails to take into account economic rationales for migration.