Study on EU Residence Cards and IDs

European Union (EU) citizens’ free movement rights are protected in legal terms by the Treaty of the European Union (TEU) and by Directive 2004/38/EC. In practice, however, EU citizens, as well as the administrative authorities, seem to experience problems when free movement rights are exercised. The variety of ID cards, registration certificates and residence documents being used across EU Member States and the differences in their characteristics (i.e. required information, appearance, security standards, etc.) can create problems for both citizens and public authorities. The fact that not all Member States issue ID cards and residence documents adds to the complexity of the picture.

The assignment is being carried out by CSES (Centre for Strategy and Evaluation Services LLP –www.cses.co.uk) in cooperation with ECAS and Capgemini consulting services.

• Support the elaboration of the problem definition;
• Carry out desk research in order to complete country indexes in 15 Member States. The country indexes are being used to collect information on identity cards, registration certificates, residence cards for EU citizens, residence cards for family members, permanent residence cards for EU citizens, and permanent residence cards for family members that currently exist in each of the EU Member States;
• Conduct at least 4 interviews, in person or by phone, with relevant stakeholders in each of the 15 Member States;
• Carry out 2-3 focus groups in selected countries.