Regulation 1968/1612 - Freedom of movement for workers within the EC - Main contents

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Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 of the Council of 15 October 1968 on freedom of movement for workers within the Community

Official Journal L 257 , 19/10/1968 P. 0002 - 0012

Finnish special edition: Chapter 5 Volume 1 P. 0033

Danish special edition: Series I Chapter 1968(II) P. 0467

Swedish special edition: Chapter 5 Volume 1 P. 0033

English special edition: Series I Chapter 1968(II) P. 0475

Greek special edition: Chapter 05 Volume 1 P. 0033

Spanish special edition: Chapter 05 Volume 1 P. 0077

Portuguese special edition Chapter 05 Volume 1 P. 0077

REGULATION (EEC) No 1612/68 OF THE COUNCIL of 15 October 1968 on freedom of movement for workers within the Community

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 49 thereof;

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission;

Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament1;

Having regard to the Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee2;

Whereas freedom of movement for workers should be secured within the Community by the end of the transitional period at the latest ; whereas the attainment of this objective entails the abolition of any discrimination based on nationality between workers of the Member States as regards employment, remuneration and other conditions of work and employment, as well as the right of such workers to move freely within the Community in order to pursue activities as employed persons subject to any limitations justified on grounds of public policy, public security or public health;

Whereas by reason in particular of the early establishment of the customs union and in order to ensure the simultaneous completion of the principal foundations of the Community, provisions should be adopted to enable the objectives laid down in Articles 48 and 49 of the Treaty in the field of freedom of movement to be achieved and to perfect measures adopted successively under Regulation No 153 on the first steps for attainment of freedom of movement and under Council Regulation No 38/54/EEC4 of 25 March 1964 on freedom of movement for workers within the Community;

Whereas freedom of movement constitutes a fundamental right of workers and their families ; whereas mobility of labour within the Community must be one of the means by which the worker is guaranteed the possibility of improving his living and working conditions and promoting his social advancement, while helping to satisfy the requirements of the economies of the Member States ; whereas the right of all workers in the Member States to pursue the activity of their choice within the Community should be affirmed;

Whereas such right must be enjoyed without discrimination by permanent, seasonal and frontier workers and by those who pursue their activities for the purpose of providing services;

Whereas the right of freedom of movement, in order that it may be exercised, by objective standards, in freedom and dignity, requires that equality of treatment shall be ensured in fact and in law in respect of all matters relating to the actual pursuit of activities as employed persons and to eligibility for housing, and also that obstacles to the mobility of workers shall be eliminated, in particular as regards the worker's right to be joined by his family and the conditions for the integration of that family into the host country;

Whereas the principle of non-discrimination between Community workers entails that all nationals of Member States have the same priority as regards employment as is enjoyed by national workers;

Whereas it is necessary to strengthen the machinery for vacancy clearance, in particular by developing direct co-operation between the central employment services and also between the regional services, as well as by increasing and co-ordinating the exchange of information in order to ensure in a general way a clearer picture of the...

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