Abstract: This Introduction guides the reader through the special section "Social Integration in EU Law: Contents, Limits and Functions of an Elusive Notion". The Authors underline the multi-faceted essence of this concept, which has both an integrative potential and a defensive function. Social integration is closely connected to the enjoyment of rights: the higher the degree of integration is, the more rights a person benefits from. However, the recent practice of the European institutions and the Member States reveal that a lack of integration can be a powerful tool for managing intra-EU mobility and migrations flows from third countries.

Keywords: social integration – rights – internal market – EU citizenship – conditionality – regular migrants.

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European Papers, Vol. 3, 2018, No 2, pp. 659-662
ISSN 2499-8249 - doi: 10.15166/2499-8249/250

* Associate Professor of EU Law, University of Turin, francesco.costamagna@unito.it;
** Assistant Professor of EU Law, University of Turin, stefano.montaldo@unito.it.