Citizenship of the European Union: Legal Foundations, Rights and Protection Mechanisms
Keywords:
Union citizenship; fundamental rights; European Union; Court of Justice of the European Union; participatory democracyAbstract
Citizenship of the European Union is one of the most important achievements of the European integration process, representing the legal expression of the transformation of the Union from an economic community into a political and social construction oriented towards the individual. Established by the Maastricht Treaty and subsequently consolidated by the Lisbon Treaty, European citizenship offers a distinct legal status, complementary to national citizenship, which grants citizens a coherent set of political, civil and social rights. The paper analyses the evolution of the concept of Union citizenship, its legal foundations, the rights associated with this status, as well as the institutional and normative mechanisms for the protection of fundamental rights. The role of the General Data Protection Regulation and the importance of the European Citizens' Initiative in strengthening participatory democracy and the rule of law in the European Union are also highlighted.
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