the EU and its citizens

Question 1

Provisions within Treaty on European Union (TEU)

Answer 1

• Every national of a Member State is also
  citizen of the Union
• Entitled to the rights conferred by the EU
  Treaty and subject to the duties it imposes
• Freedom within agreed law to travel, settle, take a job or set up a business anywhere
  within EU

When resident in another Member State an EU citizen may vote and stand as candidate
in municipal and European [but not national] parliamentary election

• Right to petition the European Parliament or, in case of a grievance, to apply to the Ombudsman for help

Democracy, Transparency, Accountability:
- EP powers increased
- Conferred power of co-decision
- Commission to engage in a more expansive and
open consultation process
- Council of Ministers to open some sessions to public

Question 2

Early Impetus/force and Ideas for a
‘People’s Europe’

Answer 2

Eurosclerosis: 1976 Tindeman Report
emphasised ‘Europe must be close to its
citizens’

Legitimacy: accountability and participation
(first direct elections to EP 1979)

Idealism: ‘We are not forming coalitions
between states but union among people’
(Jean Monnet)

Enhance EC image and European
identity:
- Euro-lottery
- Town-twinning
- Youth exchanges
- EC (Europe commission) emblem/flag
- EC anthem
- Mutual recognition of qualifications
- Common rules for voting in local
government elections
- Common electoral system for EP elections

Question 3

Lisbon Treaty

Answer 3

Restated importance of citizenship & democratic
principles within Treaties e.g. “Every citizen shall
have the right to participate in the democratic life
of the Union.

Decisions shall be taken as openly and as closely as possible to the citizen.”

Strengthens European Parliament & improves
transparency e.g. co-decision extended, some Council meetings in public etc…

Charter of Fundamental Rights given legal effect

Question 4

Europe for Citizens
programme

Answer 4

Launched by European Parliament & Council in
December 2006 (2007-13, 2014-2020)

Key objectives supported by a range of actions:
- Active citizens for Europe – town twinning &
citizens’ projects

• Active civil society in Europe – support for think tanks & civil society organisations

Together for Europe (tackling remoteness) – high- visibility events & studies

Active European remembrance

Priorities:

Challenging Euroscepticism and fostering
informed debate

Solidarity in times of crisis

Combating stigmatisation of “migrants” and
building counter narratives to foster
intercultural dialogue and mutual
understanding

Debate on the future of Europe

Question 5

Difficulties in Fostering Identification
Between EU and its Citizens

Answer 5

• National sovereignty and nationalism
• Long Westphalian tradition of national identities
• Difficulty in creating common sense of purpose and identity
• Committee of Regions ineffective
• Awareness and Information e.g. 2015 survey only 14% knew what charter of fundamental rights was; 44% in UK never heard of it.
• Press coverage
• National Government
  policies

Question 6

The End of the Permissive
Consensus?

Answer 6

Lindberg and Scheingold (1970):
- Permissive consensus might not survive a major increase in scope/capacity of EC
Negative referenda results:

Norwegian ‘double’ rejection of EU membership

Danish initial rejection of TEU

Irish initial rejection of Nice Treaty

Swedish rejection of entry to EMU

French and Dutch rejection of Constitutional Treaty

Irish initial rejection of Lisbon Treaty

Overall post-Cold War trend:
Greater popular distrust/opposition as integration both
widens and deepens? E.g. Pew Centre research Spring
2024: 53% Greeks unfavourable view of EU; 47% French
likewise

Question 7

conclusion

Answer 7

Increasing EU emphasis on developing popular
support for, and participation in, process of
integration

Increasing evidence of popular opposition to EU deepening and / or widening of integration

Question 8

What are the limits of an elite-driven
Europe?

Answer 8

attachment to Europe (emotion), the wish to strengthen European integration (cognition), and to strive for a common foreign policy (conation) are loosely coupled and vary strongly between European countries, between elites and the general population, and between economic and political elites. This challenges the thesis that European integration is based on a pan-European consensus within elites and between elites and non-elites