Reports on citizenship of the Union: EU progress on removing hurdles to the exercise of rights

The European Union (EU) citizenship report proposes concrete actions to lift remaining obstacles to citizens to fully enjoy their EU rights in their daily lives. It is accompanied by the report on progress towards effective EU citizenship, published every 3 years, which assesses the application of EU rules on EU citizens’ rights.

ACT

Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: EU citizenship report 2013 - EU citizens: your rights, your future (COM(2013) 269 final - not published in the Official Journal)

SUMMARY

EU citizenship and the rights that go with it, such as the rights to free movement and strong political rights, are key pillars of the European Union. All nationals of an EU country enjoy this status, which adds to and does not replace national citizenship.

The EU citizenship report sets out concrete actions to improve EU citizens’ rights in a number of areas. The aim is to ensure that EU citizens can effectively enjoy their rights in everyday life when working, studying, living, travelling or shopping in the EU and when participating in the EU’s decision-making process.

12key actions

In the 2013 report, the Commission proposes 12 new key actions to remove obstacles to citizens’ enjoyment of their EU rights. These cover 6 areas:

• removing obstacles for workers and trainees in the EU;
• cutting red tape in the Member States;
• protecting the more vulnerable in the EU;
• eliminating barriers to shopping in the EU;
• targeted and accessible information in the EU;
• participating in the democratic life of the EU.

Many of the proposals apply to all 500 million EU citizens. Some of them especially benefit the more than 13.6 million EU citizens who live in a different EU country to that in which they were born, or the 210 million who travel within the EU each year for business, studies, training or leisure.

All 25 concrete actions in the first EU citizenship report of 2010 have now been launched. A table of progress shows initiatives taken. They cover freedom of movement and residence of EU citizens, consular protection, electoral rights and the European citizens’ initiative, health and consumers’ rights.

The 2013 report was prepared on the basis of a major public consultation involving citizens, civil society and other EU institutions. It also responds to the enquiries or complaints that the Commission receives annually from EU citizens, via the Europe Direct information service and the Your Europe portal.

The 2013 EU citizenship report is accompanied by the report on progress towards effective EU citizenship 2011-13 (under Article 25 TFEU), which outlines how the Treaty provisions on EU citizenship (Title II of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) were implemented since 2011.

RELATED ACTS

Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions under Article 25 TFEU on progress towards effective EU citizenship 2011-13 (COM(2013) 270 final - not published in the Official Journal).

EU citizenship report 2010: Dismantling the obstacles to EU citizens’ rights (COM(2010) 603 final - not published in the Official Journal).

Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee under Article 25 TFEU on progress towards effective EU citizenship 2007-10 (COM(2010) 602 final - not published in the Official Journal).

Report from the Commission - Fifth report on citizenship of the Union (1 May 2004-30 June 2007) (COM(2008) 85 final - not published in the Official Journal).

Report from the Commission - Fourth report on citizenship of the Union (1 May 2001-30 April 2004) (COM(2004) 695 final - not published in the Official Journal).

Report from the Commission - Third report on citizenship of the Union (COM(2001) 506 final - not published in the Official Journal).

Second report from the Commission on citizenship of the Union (COM(97) 230 final - not published in the Official Journal).

Report from the Commission on the citizenship of the Union (COM(93) 702 final - not published in the Official Journal).

Last updated: 19.05.2014