EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP

CITIZENSHIPCitizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social,

political, national community and it carries with it both rights and responsibilities. The citizen is a person who lives in a nation of which he/she acquires the rights and obligations and has the opportunity to participate in the exercise of legal power.

To be considered an Italian citizen you should:-be the child of an Italian citizen;-be born on Italian territory;-be married to an Italian citizen;-live in Italy for a certain period of time.

THE DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAN AND CITIZENThe UN (United Nations) was founded in 1945 after World War II

to stop wars between countries. In 1948 The General Assembly proclaimed a set of rights granted to all human beings, which set certain limits to the power of states.

A CITIZEN'S EUROPE

Thanks to the European Union, citizens of member countries can travel, live and work anywhere in Europe.In daily life, The EU encourages and funds programmes to bring citizens closer together, particularly in the fields of education and culture.A feeling of belonging to the European Union will develop only gradually, through its tangible achievements and successes.Some symbols that represent a shared European identity already exist. The most prominent is the single currency, but there are also the EU flag and anthem.

THE IDEA OF UNITY IN A DIVIDED EUROPE

After the World War I, European states began to think of a unity between them, but this idea was swept away by the policy of Hitler. However, a new kind of hope emerged from the rubble of the Second World war. Between 1945 and 1950, a hanful of courageous statemen including Robert Shuman, Konrad Adenauer, Alcide De Gasperi and Winston Churchill set out persuading their peoples to enter a new era.The project of bringing Europe together began in 1951. In this historical context, six western states (Italy, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany) founded the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) which came into force on 23rd July 1952, for a period of fifty years. On 25 th March 1957, the six countries signed the treates establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and the European Economic Community (EEC),or Common Market.The economic unification came in 2002 with the introduction of the single currency in 12 European countries.The common market, however, was not sufficient to form a unit, in fact, the integration should be based on democratic institutions and the involvement of citizens. The first step was the election of the European Parliament in 1979.In 1986 the Single European Act was signed, which introduced the principle of foreign policy and free-flow trade across EU borders . In 1992 the Maastricht Treaty was signed which brought political integration with the European Union.When the Lisbon Treaty came into force, the European Union has finally replaced the existing community which now includes 27 countries.It was designed to make the EU more democratic, efficient and transparent.

A BIG MARKET WITH A SINGLE CURRENCY

For several decades, the momentum of European integration was mainly economic, in fact , the benefits of switching to a single large market are: the intensification of competition between firms and decrease costs.The construction of a single market took place in stages, the first phase was the removal of customs barriers. The European market is based on the free movement of goods, services, people and capital. The conditions necessary for the realization of freedom are the elimination of tariffs, the harmonization of tax systems that regulate businesses and the adoption of common technical standards and recognition of qualifications. Another very important condition was the monetary stability, namely the adoption of a single coin. The euro is the single currency shared by 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It came into circulation from 1st January 2002 , when euro notes and coins were issued.The euro gives consumers in europe considerable advantages. Travellers are spared the cost and inconvenience of changing currency. Shoppers can directly compare prices in different countries. Prices are stable thanks to the European Central Bank, whose job is to maintain this stability.

THE INSTITUTIONS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

In order to make decisions, the European Union is organized in supranational Institutions. The main ones are:• The European Parliament , which is based in Strasbourg,is the elected body

that represents the EU’s citizens. It supervises the EU’s activities and, together with the Council, it enacts EU legislation. Sine 1979, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have been directly elected by universal suffrage every five years.

• The European Council is the EU’s top political institution. It cosists of the Heads of State or Government- the president and/or prime ministers – of all the EU member countries, plus the President of The European Commission. It normally meets four times a year, in Brussels. It has a permanent President, whose job is to coordinate the European Council’s work and ensure its continuity.The President is elected for a period of two and a half years and can be re-elected once.

• The Council is made up of ministers from the EU’s national governments.The member states take it in turns to hold the Council Presidency for a six-month period. The council main job is to pass EU laws. Normally it shares this responsibility with the European Parliament .

• The European Commission is a key EU institutions. It alone has the right to draw up proposals for new EU legislation, which is sent to the Council and Parliament for discussion and adoption.Its members are appointed for a five-year term agreement between the member states, subject to approval by the European Parliament.

• The Court of Justice,located in Luxembourg, has the role of ensuring that EU laws is complied with , and that the Treaties are correctly interpreted and applied.