Citizenship in a crisis: COVID-19, Union citizenship and emergency

Stephen Coutts

Chapter 7 in Dilemmas of EU Free Movement Law, 2026, pp 143-171 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic posed an existential risk to the European Union, including in relation to free movement of persons. This paper analyses the various measures introduced by the Member States, their legality, and offers reflections on COVID-19 and free movement as a case study in EU emergency law. It is argued that Member State measures were, by and large, legal and moreover demonstrate how a particular emergency is co-managed by the Union and Member State legal orders. Member States retain their sovereign function in safeguarding their populations. However, this power is conditioned and framed by Union law.

Keywords: COVID-19; Emergency; Union citizenship; Schengen; Derogations; Borders (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781839107825
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