LEGAL REGULATIONS OF FREE MOVEMENT OF WORKERS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AS A BOOST TO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT: CASE STUDY OF EURES NETWORK ACTIVITIES IN LITHUANIA

Abstract

After Lithuanian’s accession to the European Union (EU) in 2004, the citizens of Lithuania gained one of the four freedoms of the EU: it is a freedom to move, work and live in another EU and European economic area (EEE) country. Now workers can live in one country and work in another, they can even work in more than one country. While Lithuanian business can look for specialist in another EU country if there are no any in Lithuania. Consequently the free movement of workers did effect on the Lithuanian business development and employment itself.

During the economic crisis the unemployment rate started to grow in many EU countries. Especially youth unemployment appeared as one of major issues. For Lithuanian economy high unemployment rate was and still is a serious problem. The free movement of workers is a challenge not only for the Lithuanian citizens but for employers as well. According to the strategy Europe 2020, the mobility could be as a solution in reducing high unemployment, which was reached during the economic crisis. With reference to the above, it could be stated that balanced labour movement could play a significant role in boosting business development and employment in the EU and the EEE. The dissemination of information about legal regulations of free movement of workers takes an important place in this regard. Accordingly a network of consultants, the European Employment Services (EURES), initiated by the European Commission (EC) is highly focused to this issue. EURES is acting in all the members of the EU as well as EEE. EURES is responsible for information, advice and placement services for jobseekers and employers wishing to benefit from the principle of the free movement of persons. The network has its consultants in ten cities of Lithuania as well and it covers all main regions of the state.

Considering the above mentioned, the article solves the scientific problem: how EURES network’s activities could impact employment and business development in the EU and Lithuania?

The aim of this paper is to study peculiarities of legal regulations of free movement of workers in the EU and importance of EURES network’s activities as well as its relevance to employment and business development in the EU and Lithuania.

To achieve this aim three tasks were solved: to present the main topicalities of employment and its relevance to business development in the EU and Lithuania; to analyse the legal aspects of free movement of workers in the EU; to highlight the main EURES network’s activities reducing unemployment in the EU and Lithuania.

The paper presents a combination of several research methods: comparative analysis of Lithuanian and international scientific works; comparative analysis and interpretation of the EU legal documents, strategies and practical papers; comparative and explanatory analysis of secondary statistic data; the paper includes the case study of EURES network activities in Lithuania.

The results of the article: there were presented the main topicalities of employment and its relevance to business development in the EU and Lithuania; there were highlighted the main legal aspects of free movement of workers in the EU; there were highlighted the main EURES network’s activities, reducing unemployment, balancing labour market and boosting business development in the EU and Lithuania by disseminating information about free movement of workers.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eis.0.8.6972