[8] However, it was not until 8 November 1968, when regulation (EEC) no 1612/68 entered into force, that free movement of workers was fully implemented within the Communities.
At the time free movement of workers was implemented within the European Communities, the corresponding right already existed within the Benelux (since 1960) and between the Nordic countries (since 1954) through separate international treaties and conventions.
It also clarifies procedural issues, and it strengthens the rights of family members of European citizens using the freedom of movement.
It first involved the gradual phasing out, of internal borders under the Schengen agreements, initially in just a handful of Member States.
"[13] The right to free movement applies where the legal relationship of employment is entered into in or shall take effect within the territory of the European Community.
[19][20] The precise legal scope of the right to free movement for workers has been shaped by the European Court of Justice and by directives and regulations.
Underlying these developments is a tension "between the image of the Community worker as a mobile unit of production, contributing to the creation of a single market and to the economic prosperity of Europe" and the "image of the worker as a human being, exercising a personal right to live in another country and to take up employment there without discrimination, to improve the standard of living of his or her family".
On 1 January 2021 free movement of persons between the parties ended as it is not incorporated in the TCA or the Brexit withdrawal agreement.
A 2014 Referendum directed the Swiss government to impose permanent quotas on residence/work permits for citizens of all EEA countries except Liechtenstein, starting from 2017 at the latest.