Page 26 - Demo

26n 1. 2. 1. Concept of European citizenshipThe concept of European citizenship is most commonly considered from apolitical and legal perspective. This approach is justified by the historicaldefinition of the concept of citizenship (Tab. 1.2.1) and the politico-legalconstruct of European citizenship provided by European treaties.European citizenship is a distinct form of citizenship that supplements thenational citizenship of the Member States of the European Union (EU). It grantscertain additional rights and benefits to EU citizens, alongside the rights theyhave within their home Member State. The main rights conferred by Europeancitizenship include the right to free movement and residence throughout theEuropean Union, the right to vote and stand as a candidate in Europeanelections, and the right to consular protection from other Member States.This transnational concept can be located within the broader theories ofcosmopolitanism, giving rise to the notion of a %u201ccitizen of the world%u201d. The modelsassociated with this approach (Tab. 1.2.2) find applications in current societyand issues on an EU level (Delanty, 1997). A transnational perspective ispreferred over a post-national one (Besson & Utzinger, 2008; Evans, 1982;Neveu, 2020): the former doesn%u2019t imply the disappearance of national identities,including political identities, but rather the fact that they are increasinglyrelativised.An official definition of European citizenship was introduced within theMaastricht Treaty and further consolidated in subsequent treaties. It can befound on the official page of the European Commission (Fig. 1.2.1), along withthe components that characterise and complement it. The definition has animposed character that is formal (%u201ccitizenship of the Union is herebyestablished%u201d), potential (%u201cevery person holding the nationality of a Member Stateshall be a citizen of the Union%u201d), additional (%u201ccitizenship of the Union shall beadditional to and not replace national citizenship%u201d), and dynamic (%u201ccitizens ofthe Union shall enjoy the rights and be subject to the duties provided for in theTreaties%u201d) (Article 20 %u2013 formerly Article 17 of the TEC).1 Citizen Commitment