by Harald Eustachius Tomintz
Mises.org
The European Union, at least in theory, is designed to allow residents to avail themselves of what are traditionally known as the “Four Fundamental Freedoms.” These are usually defined as the freedom of movement of goods, labor, services, and capital within and among member states of the trade bloc. Preserving economic freedoms promotes peace and prosperity, an enlightened sentiment held over from the rebuilding of the European continent after the horrors of the Second World War.
Though the body of legal literature discussing the fundamental freedoms nowadays tends to broaden them in definition and scope—such as by expanding the importance of the freedom of establishment or by discussing when a good becomes a service in digital markets—the premise of preserving economic freedom and movement remains. While undoubtedly this base notion is a desirable end, there are a great many complications and issues that arise from the politics behind it all.