If the world wants to maintain freedoms in trade and capital

Systemically speaking, if the world wants to maintain freedoms in the trade of goods  and the movement of capital, it must liberate movement of labour & services too.

Otherwise, look at the global, EU, EZ other systemic crises driven by uneven freedoms and the systemic instability they cause. 

Eg see what Achilles Heel for the EU Single Market and Single Currency low intra-EU labour mobility is.

2.5% intra-EU migration, only 4% non-EU immigrants in the EU!

According to the Eurostat, "Foreign citizens made up 6.5% of the EU27
population in 2010 Foreign-born people accounted for 9.4% of the EU27 population"

But I do no see why the Eurostat's press release headline merged the number of intra-EU and non-EU "immigrants.

Out of the total 6,5% of the 500 million EU27 population, the 6.5% includes two parts:

a) 2.5% of inta-EU27 "immigrants"

b) 4.0% immigrants from the rest of the world (ie non-EU)

The 4% figure is lower than some would imagine and puts a dent in the complaints re "foreigners" in the EU!

It would be interesting to know how the 2.5% internal migration of the EU27 population (citizens) in 2010 compare with the intra-USA one!

From "buy local" to "hire natives" to "invest at home (not abroad)"

Many of EU & world problems stem from systemic imbalances due to uneven freedoms for capital vs services, people/labour even goods.

It seems some policy makers et al in some EU members think that the Chinese market is more attractive than EU Single Market. A grave strategic mistake!

The China imports slowdown is bad news for those EUropeans who think exports to China can replace Eurozone & rest of EU Single Market ones.

Note that German's exports have rebounded in June after a bad month in April and a record month in March (should one try to correlate them with the exchange rate of the Euro?).

The inflation curbing policy (or obsession) of the ECB that has led to an expensive Euro for much of the 11.5 years since the introduction of the coins and notes, makes exporting to Eurozone easy. Exporting from Eurozone is the Herculian task!

In other words, the Euro exchange rate has been eroding most if not all Eurozone economies for most of the Euro years. Even Germany's. In a way, the bailouts of the GIPs are the price the Eurozone/EU is paying for the ECB/Bundesbank perennial obsession against inflation that hurts Eurozone biz, exports and tourism (especially Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece).

Are there socio--economic & poitical forces in Germany that have had enough of the uber hard DM/Euro obsession of Bundesbank/ECB? One would hope so, beceause then there is hope for a less destructive Euro exchange rate policy (that could also require a change in the mandate or powers of the ECB (almost typed: Bundesbank).

Otherwise, a key strategic option is the activation of an "Economic Fortress EU" that ought to include:

a) Exit from the WTO and reliance of specific case-by-case agreements of the EU with other countries (eg USA, Canada, India, China, etc) or groupings thereof (eg ASEAN, Mercosur or UNASUR, ACP, etc). Those could include agreement not only on trade of goods, but also services, intellectual products (and protection of intellectual property (see ACTA and the Singapore WTO agenda), economic migration, and of course capita movement/relocation).

b) Upgrading of the 4 freedoms inside in EU Single Market.

Will come back on both (a) and (b) in future posts.

My point is: capital, goods. services, labour & people should enjoy same level of freedoms at global or regional scope. The latter is more feasible

Another point is that the EU Single Market has to offer members benefits non-EU countries/economies should not have, ie more value.

Humanity has moved from city states to nation-state and now moving to region/continental-states. Like empires, globalisation is too unstable. Regionalisation will inter alia be good for the environment

Direct globalisation has failed. There's no global free movement of services & labor even goods. Why not build walls 4 capital then? Only route is via phase of regionalisation (NAFTA, EU, UNASUR, ASEAN, etc) with some links (capital, trade, services, labour/people) between regions

From "buy local" to "prefer to hire natives" only short step to "invest at home (not abroad)". That is not the solution. The solutions are at regional/continent level. And maybe someday, the global one.

Some thoughts on geographical mobility and immigration

Philosophical: Which geo mobility is more important? That of a) products, of b) capital or that of c) humans?

Pollution, weather, birds, viruses, etc know no borders! Capital and products almost none. Then why should humans?

Which factors promote mobility of people within the USA? a) mentality b) single language c) other(s) (which)?

On the other hand: Which factors prevent mobility of people within the EU? a) Conformism b) languages c) red tape (tax and social security) d) other (which)?

Global free immigration and mobility: if we do not institute (and promote it?) it now, the effects of global warming will, in a few decades