European Citizenship

European Citizenship constitutes a dynamic institution with an evolving dimension. Introduced by the Maastricht Treaty, it is regarded as the inevitable consequence of the completion of the Internal Market.
As the spill-over effects of economic integration reached the periphery of political integration, the establishment of a supranational European political system became highly essential. In the framework of this political system, the citizens of the European Union were called upon to play an important role. Consequently, the 'market citizen', established in the framework of the European Community, was vested with basic Union rights and arrived at the centre of the political structure of the Union. To this extent, European Union is now based on two vital political cornerstones: Member States, on the one hand, and Union citizens, on the other.
The essays in this book have a distinct political and legal focus. They analyze the catalogue of fundamental Union rights deriving from European Citizenship and examine their consequences for the everyday life of the Union.
The objective of this book is to discuss and suggest an alternative approach towards the creation of a European Union based on real solidarity and substantive consensus among its citizens. To this extent, a documentary annex to the book was added comprising the most important primary material on European Citizenship.