What does it mean to be a migrant and what timeline does the category have? This contribution examines the question from the perspective of the European Union where the nationals of the Member States have gradually changed their status from migrant to citizen of the European Union while at the same time fiercely remaining nationals of each of their own countries. The foray of the European Union into the regulation of migration in another form, that of nationals of countries outside the EU is only 12 years old but already it reveals deep tensions in the construction of identity and belonging in the multi-nation space which is Europe. This examination raises questions about the meaning of citizenship and its instrumentalisation which oblige us to think beyond the state monopoly over identity inherent in the Weberian tradition.
Migration; Citizenship; European Union; Labour Migration