Being a temporary resident in a country gives you the right to live there for a certain period of time. After a certain number of years (this differs by country), you can apply for permanent residency as the next step. Permanent residency gives you additional rights and you won't need to renew your permit so often. However, only EU citizenship (i.e. naturalization in a country) will give you full freedom of movement, with the right to live, work, study, do business, and retire in any of the EU/EEA countries.