European Citizenship – Development, Scope, and Challenges

Course Overview

All citizens in the EU are granted a European Citizenship on top of their national citizenship. Which rights and opportunities does this supra- and transnational citizenship provide? And what are the challenges and dilemmas of the two-level citizenship – for individuals, for the member states and for the union? This course examines the development, the scope and the challenges of European Citizenship. The course has a threefold aim: to explore the development, application and current challenges of European citizenship. This aim is examined through three modules. The first module focuses on the development of European Citizenship: What are the substantive rights of citizenship beyond the state, and which institutions have been key to their development? Here, we focus on free movement for persons, cross-border welfare, and political rights – especially the European Citizens' Initiative. The second module focuses on the application of EU citizenship: How is EU citizenship practised? Is EU citizenship limited or extensive when compared to the US federal system, for example? Is it still foremost a right for those who move from member state to member state, but not for those who stay in their member state of origin? Finally, the third module examines the extent to which the rules and rights around European citizenship have been contested and politicized during the last decade. In this part of the course, we also look into the de-Europeanisation of citizenship through Brexit. The course is funded by Erasmus+ and developed by the 4EU+ University Alliance, consisting of six European Universities: Univerzita Karlova, Universität Heidelberg, Sorbonne Université, Københavns Universitet, Università degli studi di Milano, Uniwersytet Warszawski.