EU Citizenship Report: Promoting EU citizens' rights and freedoms - Hoofdinhoud

Commission publishes its third EU Citizenship Report which sets out priorities in further raising awareness of the rights and freedoms that come with EU citizenship.

The European Commission published today its third EU Citizenship Report focusing on the main initiatives taken to promote and strengthen European citizenship. Any person who holds the nationality of an EU Member State is also an EU citizen. EU citizenship does not replace national citizenship, but complements it. It is a valuable status which gives citizens many freedoms such as free movement, consular protection, and the right to vote and stand as candidates in municipal and European Parliament elections wherever they live in the European Union.

One of the main findings of the Report is that Europeans are more than ever aware of their status as citizens of the Union and the proportion of Europeans wanting to know more about their rights continues to increase.

In order to achieve these goals the Commission will take a number of actions, including:

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  Organising an EU-wide information campaign on EU citizenship rights, to help citizens better understand their rights.
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  Strengthening voluntary engagement: The Commission wants to create more opportunities for young people in Europe to make a meaningful contribution to society and show solidarity. The European Solidarity Corps, launched on 7 December 2016, gives young people the opportunity to gain valuable experience while showing solidarity to those in need.
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  Proposing a ‘Single Digital Gateway' to give citizens easy online access to information, assistance and problem-solving services on a wide range of administrative questions.
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  Intensifying the Citizens' Dialogues and public debate, to exchange views with EU citizens and increase their understanding of what impact the Union has on their daily lives. Already, 125 Citizens' dialogues have been organised since the beginning of the Juncker Commission.
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  Promoting best practices to help citizens vote and stand for EU elections, particularly in the run up to the 2019 elections.