Country: Belgium
Target Group: Civil Servants and Civil Society Organisations
Date: 02 October 2024 (09h to 13h)
Language: English
Subject: Freedom of movement of EU citizens and their family members
Format: In person (Brussels) and Online (Webex)
What is it for me – Learning Objectives: This session for Civil Servants and Civil Society Organisations aims to increase their awareness on current obstacles to freedom of movement and further develop their knowledge on the Free Movement Directive (2004/38), as well as the Guidance published by the European Commission on December 6th 2023.
With over 25 years of experience in advising thousands of citizens on their EU Rights by managing Commission’s Your Europe Advice service, ECAS has accumulated in-depth knowledge on the obstacles encountered by EU citizens when exercising their freedom of movement and moving from one Member State to another.
We are hosting a free of charge training for Civil Servants and Civil Society Organisations with the goal to increase the awareness of local administrations and civil society on current obstacles to freedom of movement, by providing the tools to interpret and implement Directive 2004/38 on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely in the EU.
The training is interactive, which allows attendees to actively participate, and to develop new synergies.
Meet our expert – Anthony Valcke
Dr Anthony Valcke has been qualified as a lawyer for 25 years and has worked as a senior legal consultant since 2005. He has worked on numerous projects relating to EU citizenship and the free movement of persons, including most recently completing an in-depth study on the application of the EU residence rights in Belgium for Myria, the Belgian Federal Migration Agency, and a preparatory study for the European Commission relating to the review of the 2009 Guidelines on the implementation of the EU Directive on residence rights. He has also served as legal advisor for Your Europe Advice since 2005 and in this capacity has answered over 17,000 enquiries on the rights of EU migrants in the single market.
He lectures on EU migration law at the University of Kent and the Brussels School of Governance at the Vrij Universiteit Brussel. Originally qualified as a solicitor in England, he is also a member of the Brussels and Palermo bars. In this capacity, he regularly litigates issues relating to EU citizenship, including most notably before the EU Court of Justice in Case C-710/19 G.M.A. in respect of the rights of EU jobseekers. He holds a PhD in Comparative Law from the Università di Palermo (Italy) and degrees in English law and French law from King’s College London and Sorbonne-Panthéon, as well as a postgraduate qualification in EU law from the Université Libre de Bruxelles.