Although EU citizenship may appear to be a straightforward and unproblematic matter – each citizen of a Member State is a citizen of the Union – there are in fact situations in which EU citizenship status can become a thorny issue, at times even determining the outcome of a case. Because the rights automatically recognized with nationality most clearly involve the fundamental right of moving and residing freely, the case law relating freedom of movement with EU citizenship status is extensive and reaches into many areas of practice at every level. Prompted by the declaration of 2013 as the ‘Year of Citizens’, the author of this book offers a detailed analysis of the rationales underlying the development of the EU citizenship concept, the directives and regulations that define citizen status, and the cases that have so far worked to clarify the meaning and limits of such status, all with particular attention to the obstacles that still come between the actual exercise of rights in everyday life. The multifarious issues raised include the following: the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the EU citizen’s status; changes introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon; limitations on Member States with regard to granting and revoking nationality; participation of EU citizens in the decision making processes governing the EU; right to recourse to the European Ombudsman; right of access to documents; registration at a host Member State’s competent public offices; limitations of entry due to reasons of public policy, public security, and public health; procedural safeguards in the case of measures limiting freedom of movement; the condition of migrant workers; restrictions to freedom of movement for ‘employment in the public sector’; and the condition of family members of EU citizens. An appendix gathers legislative documents most often cited in the case law. Closely examining the various institutions concerned, case law (Member State as well as Court of Justice), and legislative innovations, the author concentrates on identifying and overcoming those obstacles that still prevent full enjoyment of EU citizenship rights. While the clear demarcation of issues will be of especial practical value in anti-discrimination cases, legal academics and jurists will appreciate the book’s signal new contribution to a classic theme of the European Union.

This book critically analyses the case law on EU citizenship in relation to its personal free movement rights, its status on the primary law level, and EU fundamental rights protection. The book exposes the legal space where EU citizenship variably loses or gains legal relevance, and questions how this space can be overcome. Through a thorough analysis of the core personal free movement rights of residence, family reunification, equal treatment and equal political participation, the book demonstrates how the development of the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union has generated a two-tiered legal concept of EU citizenship. Depending on the nature of the legal claim at hand, EU citizenship may appear as a poor legal personhood for exercising free movement rights; sometimes pushing the individual who is in a factual cross-border situation out of the scope of Union law. Contrastingly, in other strands of the jurisprudence, we see EU citizenship and its primary law levelled-rights stretch the jurisdictional scope of Union law, triggering the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights for review of the individual case. The book enhances the understanding of the legal concept of EU citizenship in Union law and contributes to the debate on the future development of EU citizenship, its relationship to the Charter, and the strength of its legal position for the person who exercises freedom of movement.

This Research Handbook provides a panoramic guide to the study and research of EU citizenship and its development within a challenging environment characterised by restrictive access to social benefits, Brexit, Euroscepticism and Covid-19. It combines theoretical perspectives with analyses of both the existing and future rights, duties and social protection that EU citizens ought to enjoy in a democratic and principled European Union.

The ever increasing relevance of European law which involves replacement or supplementation of and interaction with national law not only affects the states in Europe but also, and foremost, the citizens. The rights of the citizens in Europe are protected by the European Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. The aim of this textbook is to grasp and illustrate the meaning of these rights and to integrate it into a coherent system. For this purpose the book not only deals with the pertinent law of the European Union and the European Community, but also with the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms which, too, is becoming more and more important. In addition, regard is had to the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the Union which forms part of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. Although the Charter is not yet legally binding since the Constitution has not been ratified by all EU Member States, the Community Courts already make reference to it as a concentrate of the constitutional traditions common to the Member States. It therefore does not seem entirely unlikely that the Charter might be included into the existing Treaties irrespective of the future constitutional developments on the EU level. On a similar anticipatory basis the book also takes into account those Protocols to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms that have not yet entered into force.

This book assesses the balancing act between EU free movement law, fundamental EU objectives and Member States' concerns regarding their welfare systems. It takes a novel dual approach: namely combining doctrinal analysis of EU citizenship case law with an examination of mobility data. This allows the study to clearly show an imbalance between the representation and protection of these conflicting interests in EU case law. It goes further, identifying avenues for reform and highlighting the importance of the principle of proportionality for attaining a legitimate balance of interests. In a field in which much has been written, this offers a truly original perspective. It will be much welcomed by scholars of EU free movement and citizenship law.

Since 2008, the European Union has been affected by one of the most severe crises in the history of Europe. This book builds on the work of Jürgen Habermas to answer the key question: is Europe strong enough to overcome the recent crisis? Arguing that recovery can only take place if the citizens of Europe regard themselves as members of a socially integrated European society, this volume sets out three conditions for successful European social integration: European citizens mutually respect each other as equals, accepting that all EU citizens should have equal economic, political and social rights. Those citizens objecting to the idea of European equality should not constitute a minority with potential for mobilisation that could impede the ongoing process of European social integration. Europeans act upon their equality beliefs in everyday practice – without differentiating between nationals and EU migrants. Based on a survey carried out in Germany, Spain, Poland and Turkey, the authors argue that the requirements for a socially integrated Europe are largely in place already. Their findings allow for optimism regarding the future of the EU, as the cultural foundations for a democratisation of Europe are laid. This volume develops a theoretical framework of a socially integrated European community, and will be useful for students and scholars of sociology, citizenship studies, social policy, political science and European studies.

Freedom of movement is a key principle of the European Union (EU) resulting in the right of every EU citizen to move and reside freely within the EU. Many EU citizens work in other Member States than their Member State of origin. Direct taxes are not as such covered in the treaties and therefore have much smaller bases for harmonization at EU level than indirect taxes. As a result, decisions of European Court of Justice (ECJ) on the clash between the EU principle of free movement and Member States’ direct tax rules have a significant effect on national direct tax systems. This book focuses on the relation between free movement rights of EU citizens and the legal autonomy of Member States in the area of direct taxation and will immediately engage tax practitioners and scholars. The author asks (and answers) the question: Has the willingness at EU level to make EU citizenship a key driver behind the integration process come at the expense of national direct tax autonomy? The book’s incomparably thorough analysis of the distinctive evolution, mainly via ECJ case law, of the relation between the EU principle of free movement of persons and Member States’ direct tax rules includes in-depth discussion of the following elements and more: – the concept of EU citizenship in the EU’s constitutional and institutional development; – how the ECJ has interpreted the concept of free movement with regard to economically inactive persons; – how the notion of EU citizenship has widened the ECJ’s view on treaty access; – how the ECJ has addressed the clash between free movement of persons and direct taxation in the EU’s constitutional context; and – numerous tax policy initiatives with regard to EU citizens before and after the Treaty of Lisbon This is the first book to investigate in such detail how the ECJ has tried to reconcile specific national direct tax rules with the general EU principle of free movement of persons from the perspective of EU citizenship. This book explains that the ECJ is in the process of reconceptualizing the market freedoms relating to the free movement of persons, also in the area of direct taxation, as part of a broader EU citizenship right for all economically active EU citizens to pursue an economic activity in a cross-border context; a right beyond the aim of realization of the internal market. As an extremely important analysis of the influence of EU law on the direct tax autonomy of Member States, this book is sure to be itself of great influence in the practice and study of taxation in the EU.

European Union citizenship is a novel and complex legal status. Since its formal conception in the Maastricht Treaty, EU citizenship has catalysed an extraordinary, and ongoing, legal experiment, the development and implications of which are traced comprehensively throughout this book. EU Citizenship Law articulates, explains, and analyses the legal framework and legal developments that have shaped the status of EU citizenship and the rights that it confers on Member State nationals. By examining how the rights and responsibilities produced by EU citizenship relate to other rights conferred by EU law, the distinctive meaning and scope - the added legal value - of EU citizenship is uncovered. But the legal story examined here sits in deeper and wider economic, political, social, and emotional contexts because EU citizenship is also an idea: a vector of European integration, collective personhood, and multi-layered identities that reflects the paradoxically inclusive and exclusive qualities of citizenship more generally. EU citizenship challenges us to consider the worth and deepen the protection of the person, and to shape a European Union where principles and values really matter. Thorough yet accessible, this work provides a comprehensive legal reference point for the progression of debates about what EU citizenship law actually 'is,' and for the continuing study and practice of EU citizenship law.

Leading experts in EU constitutional law examine the foundational importance of citizenship rights in delimiting the scope of EU law.

The book's aim is to consider the impact that the introduction and development of the status of Union citizenship has had on the interpretation of the EU's market freedoms. Starting by providing, in its introductory part (part one), a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the status of Union citizenship and its development from 1998 onwards, the book proceeds in part two to provide an in-depth examination of the relationship between this status and the Union's market freedoms. The central argument of the book is that, as a result of the move towards the creation of a meaningful status of Union citizenship, the market freedoms have been reconceptualised as fundamental, Union citizenship, rights and their interpretation has adapted accordingly. Part three of the book analyses the result of this process of transforming the market freedoms into sources of fundamental, Union citizenship, rights and considers where it is likely to lead in the future. It demonstrates that, despite the fact that this development appears to be the next natural step in the process of constructing a meaningful notion of Union citizenship, it brings with it a number of issues that the EU will have to consider and carefully address. In particular, the method which the Court seems, up until now, to have employed to facilitate the metamorphosis of the market freedoms into citizenship rights, has led to criticisms on the grounds of legitimacy and coherence and will, undoubtedly, lead to further problems in the future. Hence part three of the book also identifies the difficulties that may emerge as a result of this process and suggests ways in which they may be overcome.