European Citizenship

The participation of the peoples in European construction has always been questioned since the 1970s, when the Member States wanted to relaunch the process of political unification. The election of the European Parliament by universal suffrage is a first step. Citizens' Europe, initiated in 1975 and relaunched in 1985, should make it possible to bring the peoples of the Community closer together, but remains symbolic and without much practical significance. The States are waiting for the Maastricht Treaty to establish true European citizenship within the framework of political Union. Secondary citizenship limited to a few rights, its scope remains limited and its political effectiveness questionable.