The four freedoms in the EU: Are they inseparable?

The four freedoms serve as the cornerstones of the Single Market and the euro. They state that goods, services, capital and persons can move without restriction within the EU and for many citizens, they are the greatest achievement of European integration. Meanwhile, Brexit has reignited a heated debate on the indivisibility of the four freedoms and on the free movement of persons in particular.

This briefing, written by Anna auf dem Brinke, research fellow at the Jacques Delors Institute – Berlin, looks at the crucial question whether the (technically possible) separation of the four freedoms would make any political sense and examines the consequences such a decision would bear.