What is EU citizenship?
Any person who holds the nationality of an EU country is automatically also an EU citizen. EU citizenship is additional to and does not replace national citizenship. It is for each EU country to lay down the conditions for the acquisition and loss of nationality of that country.
Citizenship of the Union is conferred directly on every EU citizen by the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU .
What rights do you have as an EU citizen?
The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union entails the right to:
- Move and reside freely within the EU;
- Vote for and stand as a candidate in European Parliament and municipal elections;
- Be protected by the diplomatic and consular authorities of any other EU country;
- Petition the European Parliament and complain to the European Ombudsman.
These rights apply to all EU citizens .
EU citizens are entitled to other rights including:
- The right to contact and receive a response from any EU institution in one of the EU’s official languages;
- The right to access European Parliament, European Commission and Council documents under certain conditions; and
- The right of equal access to the EU Civil Service.
The Treaty also prohibits discrimination on the basis of nationality .
The Lisbon Treaty introduced a new form of public participation initiative of interest
EU Citizenship portal: http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/taking-part/index_en.htm
European topics: https://www.debatingeurope.eu/debates/
