The Value of Equality and Access to Social Benefits by 'Inactive' European Citizens

The question of the access of European citizens to their social rights, in order to guarantee the full enjoyment of EU citizenship, has been the subject of numerous rulings by the EU Court of Justice . It has also been the subject of many doctrinal reflections that concern, more specifically, the access to these rights by all European citizens, economically active or inactive, regardless of their nationality . This chapter analyses recent EU case law to examine the issue of the different treatment reserved to social assistance compared to social security benefits, and to economically inactive European citizens in other Member States depending on the duration of their stay and/or type of residence.