In international forums the EU calls for freedom of movement for goods, services and capital. Freedom of movement of labour - labour migration in other words - is excluded from this claim. Why this exception? If its borders were open, the EU would because of its size and economic power act as a strong magnet for workers from a wide region around the Union. This essay asks two questions. Firstly, what are the effects of EU's restrictive labour migration policy on prosperity within and outside the EU? Secondly, is this policy sustainable over the longer term, say towards 2030, in view of forseeable pressures from within and from outside the EU? We summarise a number op dilemmas and policy options.