Restricted free movement in times of the COVID-19 pandemic

Freedom of movement is one of the main pillars of the EU and many European citizens have exercised their right to move, settle and work in another EU Member State before 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic represents a crucial turning point in this mobility regime and brings with it the need to examine the dynamics of a global crisis in a highly interconnected EU. Our research project focuses on the impact of the pandemic and the policy measures taken by both nation states and the EU over the course of the pandemic. Building on our TRANSWEL research (2015-2018), this study focuses on mobile Hungarian citizens who lived and worked in Vienna until before the pandemic and examines the changing conditions in the transnational field between western Hungary and eastern Austria. With regard to the (restricted) EU freedom of movement and possible effects of the crisis on European societies, we explore the situation of Hungarian migrants in Vienna, focusing on their perspective. We assume that changes in daily life due to COVID-19 are a socially constructed phenomenon. Therefore, our main research questions relate to (a) migrants` experiences of the administrative and legal changes introduced by Austria and Hungary, (b) the constraints and challenges they face, (c) the coping strategies they and their significant others use, and (d) their hopes and self-perceptions. In order to answer these questions, both the social and institutional context and the migrants` actions need to be analysed. To be able to grasp the changing social and political situation, we follow a process-oriented research approach based on constructivist grounded theory. We will conduct a qualitative panel study to accompany the migrants over a longer period of time. In addition, expert interviews and literature research will provide an overview of the legal regulations on the status of mobility during and after COVID-19 in the two countries. Qualitative problem- centred interviews will be the primary method of data collection. The research we propose is innovative as it (a) combines the perspectives of both affected Hungarian migrants and experts in the field, (b) emphasises the dynamics of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, (c) highlights the importance of communication in the research process, and (d) takes an intersectional approach to pay particular attention to the interaction of different levels of discrimination.