Brussels, 08/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - Citizenship of the EU is only in its first phase of development in juridico-political and legal terms and the exercising of EU citizenship rights has been disappointing so far so greater information and permanent education efforts are required (to ensure all EU citizens are prepared to exercise all their rights) but examples of this are few and far between for the moment. These comments are made by a working document from the Directorate-General for Research at the European Parliament on European Citizenship - Political Project for a Federal Union by Marcello Accorsi. In the preface, MEP Enrico Ferri also highlights the progress that has to be made particularly in the light of the EU's enlargement, noting that a "European Constitution" is in the process of being drawn up that makes an enlightened choice to focus on the individual.
Mr Accorsi says that having created a common citizenship alongside national citizenships means having traced a much clearer path than one had wanted to show, since in the medium-term, the new EU citizens' rights would encourage the ruling and political classes to make a final and decisive step in bringing the EU closer to a federal organisational model. The author highlights the patient, tenacious and meticulous teamwork between the various MEPs and Commissioners over the course of time that he says has shown heads of state the path to follow. He describes what he calls the chaotic and obstacle-strewn path that led the Community structure to adopt an increasing role as a common house and integrated area of civil and political liberties. The idea of European citizenship, he said, goes back to an Italian idea supported by the Belgian government launched at the 15 November 1972 Summit, when the then President of the Council Giulio Andreotti suggested creating European citizenship in addition to the citizenship that every inhabitant of our countries already enjoys. This was followed by a report from the then Prime Minister of Belgium Leo Tindermans on the European Union, as requested by the Paris European Summit of 1974, mentioning for the first time the need for a "citizens' Europe". The author notes that the European Parliament has adopted various citizenship measures (like the Scelba report of October 1977), and that the European Commission also played a determining role in terms of European citizenship (starting with its 1975 report), as had the Court of Justice through its ascetic and often very prudent case law.
(Further information: Jean-Louis Antoine-Grégoire, Directorate-General for Research, Social and Legal Affairs Division. Tel: 02 284 2853; Fax: 02 284 9050; e-mail: jantoine@europarl.eu.int).