Text tabled : A7-0258/2011

  Regina Bastos (PPE), in writing. – (PT) The right to live and work in a different Member State is one of the Union’s fundamental freedoms, and is a basic element of Union citizenship recognised by the Treaties. In fact, there is a need for better transposition and implementation of current directives on free movement of workers, given that there remain legal, administrative and practical obstacles to the full implementation of this fundamental freedom. I therefore voted for this report, which stresses the need to promote information strategies about the rights of migrant workers, and to simplify administrative procedures relating to the free movement of workers. There is also a need for better coordination among social protection systems, in order that previously acquired social rights might be recognised. It is essential to strengthen the current legal framework regarding recognition of academic and professional qualifications. The geographic mobility of young people should be promoted through mobility programmes for the purposes of learning, and the teaching of foreign languages should be actively promoted. Finally, I would stress the importance of the European Employment Services network in promoting the mobility of workers within the European Union, by making available information on job offers, information on education and professional training opportunities, and on living and working conditions.