European Civic Citizenship and EU Integration Policies

Abstract

EnglishStarting with a general overview on integration policies based, respectively, on the assimilationist, multicultural and intercultural model (§ 1), the paper focused on the notion of European (Union) citizenship, looked at from the point of view of its normative relevance in the Union treaties, as well as of its meaning in relation to the basic issues of the qualification criteria and the subjective or personal scope of this notion, with regard to the problem of its conceptual autonomy (§§ 2-3). Against this background, in which it can be observed an autonomous foundation with a potentially open and inclusive character of European citizenship, the relationship between immigration and integration within the area of freedom, security and justice is analysed, having regard to EU rules and the European Council multiannual programmes (§ 4), with an aim to argue (§ 5) the feasibility of a broad definition of European citizenship, in the form of the so-called civic citizenship such as proposed by the European Commission in two communications, respectively of 2000 and 2003; then supported and further relaunched in more recent times by the European Economic and Social Committee in two opinions, respectively of 2003 and 2014. This broad notion of European citizenship could apply, in virtue of the principle of equality, to third country nationals (migrants and refugees) who are stable long-term residents in a member state. In the last paragraph (§ 6), some final considerations are made regarding the need of a paradigm shift, consisting in re-thinking at European level the notion of citizenship no longer in terms only of nationality (related to state citizenship), but on a residential basis, in terms of function of civic coexistence, grounded on shared values, within the transnational common space of the Union. francaisEn commencant par un apercu general a propos des politiques d’integration basees respectivement sur le modele assimilationniste, multiculturel et interculturel (I.), la contribution se concentre sur la notion de citoyennete (de l’Union) europeenne, du point de vue de sa pertinence normative dans les traites de l’Union, et de sa signification en rapport avec les questions fondamentales des criteres de qualification et des portees subjective ou personnelle de cette notion, en ce qui concerne le probleme de son autonomie conceptuelle (II., III.). Dans ce contexte, ou il peut etre observe une fondation autonome avec un caractere potentiellement ouvert et inclusif de la citoyennete europeenne, la relation entre immigration et integration dans l’espace de liberte, securite et justice est analysee, en prenant en consideration les regles de l’UE et le programmes pluriannuels du Conseil Europeen (IV.), afin de soutenir (V.) la possibilite d’une definition large de la citoyennete europeenne, sous la forme de la soi-disant citoyennete civile, tel que presente par la Commission Europeenne dans deux communications, respectivement, de 2000 et 2003 (soutenue et relancee recemment par le Comite economique et social europeen dans deux decisions, respectivement, de 2003 et 2014). Cette notion large de citoyennete europeenne pourrait s’appliquer, en vertu du principe d’egalite, aux ressortissants des pays tiers (migrants et refugies) qui sont residents de longue duree dans un Etat membre. Dans la derniere partie (VI.), quelques considerations finales sont tirees, concernant l’exigence d’un changement de paradigme, consistant a repenser au niveau europeen la notion de citoyennete non plus uniquement en termes de nationalite (en relation avec la citoyennete de l’Etat), mais sur un base residentielle, en termes de fonction de coexistence civique fondee sur des valeurs partagees, dans l’espace commun transnational de l’Union.