The committee hearing on 18 July 2012 was focusing on the EU's Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM), which is the union's overarching framework on migration policies.

BBC: Warning over 'anarchy' in migration policies

Many of the economic gains from mobility do not require migration to be permanent.

ECONOMIST: Managing the market

The drop in mobility shows up almost exclusively in gross migration, the total number of interstate household moves.

ECONOMIST: Free exchange