‘Citizens Without Borders’ Freedom of Residence and Movement in the EU, is a project funded by the European Union aimed at improving the knowledge and implementation of regulations related to the free movement and residence of EU citizens and their family members in accordance with Directive 2004/38/EC.

The research hypothesis is based on a concern, shared by the project partners, that in many member states, the right of European citizens to free movement and residence is not fully respected, despite the formal transposition of the Directive.

The research carried out in the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Spain and Romania is based on various data sources such as documents and reports published by official bodies and non-profit organisations, interviews with various actors and testimonies from European citizens' own requests, complaints and claims.

After a general review of the transposition process and an introduction on the most relevant aspects of the Directive that are considered problematic, the central part of the publication provides a “snapshot” of the current situation in the countries involved in the ‘Citizens Without Borders’ project, highlighting those areas where practical obstacles prevent EU citizens and their families from fully exercising their rights to freedom of movement and residence, as well as the groups most affected by these obstacles.

Based on the results of the comparative research process, training has been carried out in the five European countries participating in the project aimed at citizens, professionals and social entities with the objective of disseminating the contents of the research and improving practices related to residence and movement rights within the EU.