European Union Internal Market and Labour Law: Friends or Foes?

The interaction between labor market regulation and the EU's internal market poses increasing challenges for both lawyers and policy makers throughout the EU. From a policy point of view, the Lisbon Agenda and the reality of globalization have driven the EU towards a reformative approach to labor law in the context of its employment strategy. In the legal arena, the mixture of different national labor standards and free economic exchange has turned explosive in the wake of EU enlargement. This book explores the intricate, complex, and sometimes contentious relationship between the EU's agenda for a free internal market and the protection of labor standards within the EU. Its immediate focus is on recent legal developments, both in case law and in legislation. But these developments are addressed in a more general approach that seeks to give an overall background and context. European Union Internal Market and Labour Law: Friends or Foes? the result of a conference held in the aftermath of the instantly famous cases of Laval and Viking also reports on a panel discussion between stakeholders.