State, Society and Culture

Week 5- Limits to Citizenship 

What is the cornerstone of EU citizenship?

Freedom of Movement

• How can we understand freedom of movement- As inclusionary or exclusionary?
• Does it make the EU countries sensitive to refugees?
• Does it not discriminate against certain people within the EU? Desirable and undesirable?

EG: The idea of inclusivity can be contested- Roma People (within the EU) & Refugees 

so the inclusion of freedom of movement based on the principle of exclusion?

Essential Readings: Willem Maas (2014)- European Union Citizenship in retrospect and prospect 

• All citizens of our member states are equal in each of our member states- Promise of extensive equality to all its citizens.
• Every person holding the nationality of a member state shall be a citizen of the union.
• The Maastricht Treaty formal insertion of citizenship into the legal documents governing the institutions of European integration consolidated decades of legal political development leading to a common citizenship status for citizens of EU member states. 
• Multilevel federal citizenship- A supranational political community on a continental scale. 
• Free movement of workers, services, capital, and goods.
• Laws: resides in Luxembourg (the European Court) Highest judicial body guaranteeing rights enshrined in the European convention on human rights.

The journal summary notes:

• The idea of creating a common citizenship was introduced in 1951 under the European Coal and  Steel Community aimed at forming an economic market.
• Free movement of people was sought to support the demand of the common market.
• Current European citizenship established in 1992 (signed by 12 members states) under the Maastricht and later amended aimed to create a formal political and legal relationship and a common citizenship shared by citizens of the EU.
• Positives and negatives (Failures and successes)

Other recommendations:

• Rights to vote in local elections
• Fostering student mobility
• Common policy on third-country nationals 
• Mutual recognition of qualification for professionals 
• EU flags, anthem, Right of residence, common diplomatic protection abroad and right to petition. 

How does one assess the success of European citizenship? 

Failures:

• It requires considering the relationship between it and Europeanism or the European idea (McCormick (2010). 
• Holding EU citizenship up to the standard of national citizenship highlights its shortcomings. EG while some 'undesirable migrants do benefit from EU citizenships rights of free movement -
  
• Aradus et al. (2010)  cited in Maas (2014) critiqued the notion of the free movement by pointing out the discrimination that the Roma people face in Europe as undesirable migrants are ostracised whilst those desirable are treated well. Such discrimination against European citizens represents a failure of the EU and its member states to achieve equal treatment for all its citizens.
• Anti-immigrants sentiment - Denmark - anti-immigrant policies directed at minorities serving to demonise and isolate migrant communities by othering and alienating them and therefore not worthy of European citizenship.
• Third- country nationals remain largely excluded from benefits (even if they were born or resided for many years in Europe)- the treaty language (revised in the Lisbon treaty from Amsterdam formulation) that 'Citizenship of the Union shall be additional to and not to replace national citizenship' limits its legal…