A Qualitative Content Analysis Of How Vulnerable Eu-Citizens Are Portrayed In Swedish Media

Abstract

On 30 April 2004 The Eu Directive 2004/38/Ec Entered Into Force And Defined Eu-citizens’ right to free movement within the European Union. This directive gives EU-citizens the right to move freely between member states in up to three months. In order to reside for a longer period, the EU-citizens must comply to a certain set ofrules and qualifications. They must either be employed, registered as students or possess enough economic capital so that neither themselves nor their family risk being a burden on the social assistance system of the host member state. The directive sets up a legal frameworkwhere individuals not qualifying are theoretically experiencing their movement somewhat restricted. Furthermore, the people not qualifying within the directive’s requirements are at risk of being depicted as unwanted EU-citizens in political discourses. In this article I examine this phenomenon with a specific focus on the group vulnerable EU-citizens in Sweden and how they are portrayed in Swedish media.