The Maastricht Treaty of 1992 introduced the concept of a “European Union citizenship” into the legal framework of the EU, extending the European integration – which had, until then, mainly focused on economic affairs – with a political dimension. Since Maastricht, every citizen of any of the EU member states automatically also holds European Union citizenship. This European citizenship is not intended to replace the national citizenship but to provide EU citizens in their every day activities with additional rights which have been guaranteed by the EU Treaties.
It is one of the EU’s objectives to strengthen and reinforce the rights of its citizens. These citizen’s rights are listed in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. In the Lisbon Treaty from 2009, the EU confirmed its commitment to a common European citizenship for all citizens of the individual EU countries. New regulations and new instruments in the Lisbon Treaty have been designed to strengthen the European citizenship, mainly by extending the EU competencies in the areas of justice and fundamental rights. The EU underlines its determination to ensure the transparency of its decision-making process and its proximity to the individual citizens.
The EU also supports the active involvement of its citizens into the process of European integration and the participation of the civil society in the democratic discussions. This will strengthen common values as well as the mutual understanding on the European level and provide useful assistance to volunteer organizations and other forms of civic engagement.
One of the new instruments envisaged by the Lisbon Treaty is the European Citizen’s Initiative. If citizens hold the view that a legal intervention of the EU is required in any area which falls into the jurisdiction of the European Commission, they can – by collecting at least one million signatures – call upon the Commission to come up with an appropriate plan.
EU citizens and civil society organizations can publicly express and discuss their views about any area which falls into the jurisdiction of the European Commission. The programme Europe for Citizens recognizes the key role that the citizens need to play in the further development of the EU. The programme emphasizes the common European values, encourages discussions about European history and assists in the development of ideas and activities with a European dimension. The predominant objective is to imbue the citizens with the sense that they are an integral part of the ongoing “Project Europe“.