EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 15.12.2020 COM(2020) 730 final REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS EU Citizenship Report 2020









Empowering citizens and protecting their rights



1.Introduction Alongside peace, EU citizenship is one of the most significant achievements of the European project and is unique in the world. EU citizenship rights, including free movement, political and democratic rights and the right for EU citizens to benefit from consular protection by other Member States when not represented abroad, have had a transformative impact on Europe. There are now over 13.3 million Europeans who enjoy their right to reside in another EU country. The Commission reports on the application of the EU citizenship provisions every 3 years and proposes new priorities for the next 3 years. Since the last EU Citizenship Report in 2017, there have been significant challenges in exercising EU citizenship rights, including in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and there have also been many positive developments. For example, 9 out of 10 European citizens are now familiar with the term 'citizen of the European Union' - the highest number on record. Furthermore, turnout in the last European elections was at its highest in two decades, largely driven by young and first-time voters. The gender gap in voting and in the composition of the European Parliament has decreased further. Support for free movement is at its highest in 12 years. Since the last Citizenship Report, Europe has seen the emergence of powerful social movements on issues such as climate change, economy and taxation, racism and equality. These movements often combined street protests with online activism, successfully overcoming geographical and linguistic borders to create pan-European, and even global, synergies. If ever there was a doubt that European citizens were losing their taste for political engagement, the recent years have shown that they are keener than ever to make their voices heard, and to shape the society they live in. Recent challenges have also been many and complex. The COVID-19 crisis shows how much Europeans have come to rely on free movement and depend on it for economic and personal reasons. In the first half of 2020 thousands of Europeans were stranded abroad due to travel restrictions imposed following the COVID-19 outbreak, which resulted in an unprecedented coordinated effort of the EU and its Member States that brought more than 600 000 citizens home safely. While Europe rose to the challenge of rescuing its citizens abroad, there were questions about whether the pooling of EU resources in third countries should be more streamlined, and whether assistance to citizens should be made more flexible. During the pandemic, as well as during the European elections and beyond, Europeans were targeted with online disinformation, jeopardising the basic requirement for their democratic participation in public life and their informed choices. Overshadowed by the impact of new technologies and the global health emergency, many everyday practical administrative and legal burdens continue to affect the lives of EU citizens. They range from complicated voting registration procedures for mobile EU citizens, to insufficient digital options for administrative procedures and tax regimes for frontier workers. In addition, the Brexit referendum that led to the UK's departure from the EU has had an impact on the lives of close to 3.7 million EU citizens who made their home in the UK and millions of UK citizens who lost their status of EU citizens. The Citizenship Report is strongly linked to the Commission’s six headline ambitions for Europe, particularly the new push for European democracy and bringing citizens closer to the EU. It should be seen in combination with and as complementing other initiatives, such as the new Strategy for strengthening the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and, in particular, the European Democracy Action Plan. The actions and priorities set out in this report directly focus on empowering the citizen, thereby complementing the European action plan on democracy, which addresses key challenges to our democracies and encompasses policy areas with a broad societal impact. The proposed priorities are based on dedicated consultations, including a public consultation on EU citizenship rights and a Flash Eurobarometer survey on EU citizenship and democracy, and on research, including the work of the Network of Academics on EU Citizenship Rights. In defining its priorities, the Commission has also drawn directly on the numerous letters it has received from citizens who regularly write to explain the problems and issues they encounter when exercising their rights in their day-to-day lives. The 2020 Citizenship Report is composed of two separate documents: this Report and the Report under Article 25 TFEU presenting the Court of Justice jurisprudence in the area of citizenship rights. The Report takes stock of the progress made on EU citizenship since the 2017 report and proposes new priorities and actions to bring real benefits to EU citizens ensuring they can enjoy their citizenship rights in practice, particularly in a cross-border context. It sets out a number of concrete actions and priorities around the four main themes: ·Strengthening democratic participation, citizens’ empowerment and fostering inclusion of citizens in the EU; ·Facilitating the exercise of free movement and simplifying daily life; ·Protecting and promoting EU citizenship; ·Protecting EU citizens in Europe and abroad, including in times of crisis/emergency. 2.Strengthening democratic participation, citizens’ empowerment and fostering inclusion of citizens in the EU 2.1. Effective exercise of voting rights

Voting and standing for election is the basis of a democratic society. The 2019 European Parliament elections saw the highest turnout of the last two decades. The increase in turnout was driven by young and first-time voters. Women also participated in greater numbers, and the voting gender gap narrowed from 4% in 2014 to 3% in 2019. The number of women elected to the Parliament increased from 37% to 39.4%. Data on the electoral participation of other underrepresented groups remains limited, as few Member States collect it. However, underrepresented categories of voters face additional challenges. For people with a minority racial or ethnic background, it can be more difficult than for the rest of the population to feature on candidate lists, registering for elections or performing other electoral procedures. For instance, social and economic vulnerabilities of many Roma people are often exploited during election processes through vote buying and vote manipulation, direct pressure or threats. Successful inclusion of Roma depends on whether their right to vote and be voted for is adequately exercised. Therefore, Member States should put more effort into raising election awareness in order to increase the participation of Roma and other disadvantaged groups - ensure that they can make free and informed choices in elections and encourage their political representation. Persons with disabilities continue to be underrepresented in elections when exercising both their right to vote and to be elected. They face diverse barriers, such as limited accessibility of premises and ballots or insufficient accessible information on candidates and debates. An estimated 800 000 EU citizens from 16 Member States may have been deprived of the right to participate in the 2019 elections to the European Parliament because their national rules and organisational arrangements do not take their specific needs sufficiently into account. The Commission will work with Member States and the European Parliament to guarantee political rights of persons with disabilities on equal basis with others and in particular to ensure that this right is enjoyed in the next European Parliament elections. Many Member States took specific measures to improve the participation of women in the EU elections. These included linking the allocation of public funding for political parties to promoting the political participation of women, quota systems for candidate lists and introducing a general obligation for political parties to have gender-balanced lists of candidates. There are still many challenges to address, however. Online hate speech and cyber violence against women in politics increasingly creates barriers to women’s political participation by, for instance, discouraging female candidates from running for office. With a view to the next European Parliament elections, the Commission will organise a high level event bringing together various authorities to address the challenges related to electoral processes as well as empowering citizens to participate as voters and candidates in the democratic process. Within the European Cooperation Network on Elections the Commission has helped EU countries exchange best practices that help different groups of citizens participate in elections, and it will continue to do so. It will also continue to help promote best practices within the network, in line with the highest European standards for free and fair elections, including the standards recommended by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe. In 2021, the Commission will organise workshops for the European Cooperation Network on Elections on: (i) improving the accessibility of European elections; (ii) practices in remote voting and specifically electronic voting (e-voting) or online tools that can facilitate electronic democratic participation while addressing security and confidentiality concerns; and (iii) developing indicators, e.g. on the democratic participation of specific groups. Further encouraging the European dimension in elections to the European Parliament strengthens the link between individuals and European institutions, and hence the democratic legitimacy of European decision making. It also helps political accountability. To be able to hold politicians to account, people need to see a clear link between candidates’ national campaigns and programmes, European policies and the political parties with which they are affiliated. During the 2019 elections, Europe and European issues such as ‘values’, ‘economics’, ‘social’ and the ‘environment’ were prominent in the materials used during the campaign. A number of political parties provided voters with information about their European affiliations and several parties took steps to raise awareness of the European dimension of the elections through their campaign materials and websites. Two political parties were directly present in several Member States and campaigned on a pan-European programme. One Member of the European Parliament was elected from such a party in Germany. When asked about this topic in the 2020 Eurobarometer survey, more than 4 in 10 respondents (43%) believed it likely that having lists of candidates with nationals of other EU countries would make them more inclined to vote in the next European Parliament elections. A growing group of citizens entitled to vote and stand as candidates in European Parliament elections are ‘mobile’ EU citizens: citizens who have moved to live, work or study in another Member State. It is estimated that, in 2019, of the over 17 million mobile EU citizens in the EU, almost 15 million were eligible to vote (over 3% of the total EU voting population) in the 2019 European Parliament elections. However, a relatively low number of them exercised their rights. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (65%) in the recent Eurobarometer survey considered it likely that being able to contact a helpdesk that provides citizens with information on European Parliament elections and voting procedures would make them more inclined to vote in the next European Parliament elections. More than 60% of those who responded to the open public consultation for this report thought that not enough is being done to inform citizens about their EU citizenship rights, and the lack of information at national level was the most often mentioned barrier (22%). The Commission will explore, in close cooperation with the Parliament, the possibility of creating a dedicated shared resource to support EU citizens in exercising their electoral rights, as well as providing additional avenues for them to report hurdles and incidents affecting their political participation. This should be made available to both EU citizens (including mobile EU citizens) and relevant authorities by autumn 2023. Mobile EU citizens also have the right to vote and stand as candidates in municipal elections and European Parliament elections in their Member State of residence. Yet, their turnout is frequently lower than that of citizens who are nationals of the country. This is partly due to complicated registration processes and insufficient voting options. The Commission intends to update the relevant directives to strengthen mobile citizens’ ability to exercise their electoral rights. This would involve updating, clarifying and strengthening the rules in order to ensure that they support the broad and inclusive participation of mobile EU citizens. Areas to be covered include the provision of targeted information to mobile EU citizens - including on the deadlines, the implications and durability of voter registrations, the exchange of information on the registration of mobile EU citizen voters and candidates in European elections, and the necessary adjustments following Brexit. Several EU Member States deprive their nationals who permanently reside in other countries of the right to vote in national parliamentary elections. These disenfranchised citizens often face exclusion from political life in both their country of origin and their country of residence. In its 2014 recommendation, the Commission urged Member States to allow their nationals to apply to remain registered on the electoral roll and therefore retain their right to vote. It will continue to monitor the situation and calls for the Member States concerned to abolish these disenfranchisement rules. EU citizenship rights do not grant mobile EU citizens the right to vote in national elections in their Member State of residence, even though they are active members of society and are affected by national policies. According to the Flash Eurobarometer 485 survey, more than 6 in 10 Europeans (63%) consider that it is justified for EU citizens living in an EU country that is not their country of origin to acquire the right to vote in national elections and referenda in their country of residence. The open public consultation for this report revealed similar support for granting mobile EU citizens the right to vote in national elections of their Member State of residence. In March 2020, a European Citizens’ Initiative on this subject was registered. The Commission will explore this topic further with the Member States. Election observation is a good way to engage citizens with the electoral process, and to improve public trust in free and fair elections. Election monitoring by citizens can go beyond observing the voting and counting of ballots and include the application of electoral rules online, which can greatly help the work of the national authorities responsible for electoral matters. Building on existing successful practices, the Commission intends to fund projects that foster independent election observation, including by citizens, with guidelines or good practices discussed within the European Cooperation Network on Elections. Action 1 – In 2021, the Commission will update the directives on voting rights of mobile EU citizens in municipal and European elections, to facilitate the provision of information to citizens and improve the exchange of relevant information among Member States, including to prevent double voting. Action 2 – The Commission will explore the possibility of creating a dedicated shared resource to support EU citizens in exercising their electoral rights. The Commission will continue to work with the Member States through the European Cooperation Network on Elections to facilitate and improve the ability of EU citizens to exercise their voting rights including by supporting the exchange of best practices and mutual assistance to ensure free and fair elections. Action 3 – The Commission will fund projects on independent election observation, including monitoring by citizens. 2.2. Empowering citizens’ participation in the democratic process

Increasing citizens’ involvement at all stages of the democratic process is key for our European democracy. Many new initiatives to involve citizens in the decision-making process are emerging. There is for example a surge of interest in deliberative democracy across the EU, and this needs to be recognised and encouraged. Increasing the transparency of policy- and decision-making and involving citizens in deliberations on the complex questions faced by the European institutions is central to democratic legitimacy. It is also relevant to citizens’ confidence in and connection to EU institutions. A major pan-European deliberative democracy exercise, the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe will create a new public forum for an open, inclusive, transparent and structured debate with citizens around a number of key priorities and challenges. It will feature from the start a ground-breaking multilingual digital platform that will make the Conference accessible to citizens from all walks of life, and from all corners of the Union. Citizens will be empowered to put forward ideas and proposals, or to organise local debates. Thanks to real-time translation in all EU languages, citizens from different Member States will be able to follow the debates, offering the prospect of genuinely transnational debates about the future of Europe. The improvements to the lead candidate system for the European Parliament elections, as well as how to address the issue of transnational lists could be discussed at the Conference on the Future of Europe. Complementing other actions proposed under the European Democracy Action Plan, the Citizenship Report takes a citizen-centric approach and focuses on actions and initiatives that directly empower the citizens and protect their rights. Innovative and user-centred techniques that are suitable for different ages and needs should be used to support deliberative and representative democratic participation. Policies that raise awareness and increase public involvement in decision making at European level should benefit all citizens. This is crucial for ensuring that European citizens are confident that their voice is heard and that voting matters. Empowered citizens should have the tools, the channels and the skills to make their voices heard in the public arena so they can contribute directly to shaping public policies at all levels. The Commission will explore innovative ways to consult citizens and gather their feedback on new EU legislation. The Commission is already testing participatory and deliberative processes, for example in designing and implementing cohesion policy projects and in identifying the possible priorities for the five EU missions that will be an integral part of Horizon Europe, the next framework programme for research and innovation (covering cancer, climate adaptation, greener and smarter cities, healthy soils, and healthy oceans and waters) . It will continue to fund research and innovation projects that aim to develop deliberative and participatory democracies through experimentation and explore the practices, challenges and impacts of deliberative democracy processes at different geographical scales and in different social groups . The Commission will also fund innovation projects that increase capacity or offer hands-on support to engage European citizens in the transitions that are part of the European Green Deal, through both deliberation and participation , and other areas. Moreover, the European Union aims to further encourage the participation of young people in democratic life in Europe . The promotion of inclusive participatory democracy is also one of the guiding principles of the European Union’s Youth Strategy (2019-2027) which aims to support the involvement of young people in Europe in shaping society and politics. The three core areas of the EU Youth strategy are Engage, Connect and Empower. Engage stands for youth participation and the EU’s resolve to encourage democratic participation of all young people, mainly through the EU Youth Dialogue , a structured youth participation tool and one of the biggest citizens’ participation tools in the EU that contributes to bringing young people’s ideas to the table. It is an excellent example of a bottom-up mobilisation of voices successfully reaching policy-makers. 2020 marks the tenth anniversary of the EU Youth Dialogue. The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is an important part of EU citizenship rights and a powerful instrument for participatory democracy in the EU. It allows one million citizens residing in one quarter of the Member States to ask the Commission to submit a proposal for a legal act that implements the EU treaties. As of January 2020, there are new rules that make the ECI more user-friendly and accessible so that it can help increase the participation of European citizens in the EU's democratic process. On 15 July 2020, the European Parliament and the Council adopted temporary measures to address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ECI. The rules have been modified to allow for an extension of the collection periods of citizens' initiatives affected by the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by a massive wave of false or misleading information, including attempts by people and groups from outside the EU to influence EU citizens and debates. By requiring greater accountability for online platforms, the Commission is continuing its work to support an information environment in which citizens can develop well-informed opinions on public affairs. On COVID-19 related disinformation, the Commission has set up a monitoring and reporting programme as a follow up to the June 2020 COVID-19 Joint Communication . Signatories of the Code of Practice on Disinformation have been reporting monthly on the actions taken to limit the spread of COVID-19 disinformation on their services. In addition, consumer scams, such as offering unnecessary, ineffective and potentially dangerous protective products, have surged as a particular element of disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic . Initiatives provided in the Joint Communication and the new Consumer Agenda address these issues. The European Democracy Action Plan and the Digital Services Act are addressing the challenges posed for our societies by online disinformation. Participation in learning activities can contribute to empowering citizens’ participation in democratic processes. This is recalled in the European Skills Agenda , which promotes skills for life because “democratic societies depend on active citizens who can discern information from various sources, identify disinformation, take informed decisions, are resilient and act responsibly”. With this view, the Commission will support the development of quality and inclusive adult learning, in line with the first principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Digital technologies are transforming democratic decision-making in the EU, as well as the way public authorities interact with citizens. Online tools can facilitate interaction and democratic participation in current times, when circumstances have forced many people to change their working habits and the way they interact with each other . At the same time, digital engagement is limited by people's technical skills. One of the Commission's key priorities is ‘A Europe fit for the digital age’ and improving the digital skills of both young people and adults. This is the focus of the updated digital education action plan that runs from 2021 to 2027. Relevant actions include reinforcing efforts to foster digital literacy and promote the development of common guidelines to tackle disinformation through education and training, and supporting the development of a better understanding of artificial intelligence and data among all citizens and systematic integration of digital literacy into formal and informal education projects. The Commission is also committed to addressing the impact of ageing in all policy areas in order to help societies and economies adapt to demographic changes. It will outline specific actions to encourage the active participation of citizens in all stages of life, from young to old, with a potential additional focus on children's participation in EU political and democratic life. Mobile EU citizens settling in another Member State need support to ease their inclusion in the host society. Some mobile EU citizens may be in a precarious situation, such as rough sleepers, or may come from a minority background and may be entitled to additional support. Currently, support is often made available to third-country nationals and mobile EU citizens as a specific group often lack sufficient support. There are, of course, exceptions to this and a growing number of local government and civil society projects are trying to fill this gap. In addition, every year, the Commission supports awareness-raising actions on EU citizenship rights and the inclusion of mobile EU citizens through its dedicated funding in the area of EU citizenship. Furthermore, international research and literature finds a strong association between cultural participation and democracy. Societies are said to be more open and tolerant, better functioning, economically stronger and with higher democratic security where people have easy access to a wide range of cultural activities and where participation rates in these activities are high. In this context, the Commission is preparing to launch, in early 2021, an independent study “The importance of citizens’ participation in culture for civic engagement and democracy – policy lessons from international research”. It will summarise existing knowledge and evidence on this topic, will distil key policy lessons and will highlight examples of successful actions from several EU Member States. The study will support the Commission in the implementation of the New European Agenda for Culture and of the Council’s 2019-2022 Work Plan for Culture.

Action 4 - The Commission will support the active participation of citizens in the democratic process, and will take innovative approaches to involving them in the legislative process to ensure that EU laws are fit-for-purpose and align with EU values. It will lead by example by funding projects that support European citizens’ engagement, via the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme, deliberation and participation in the Horizon Europe programme and in the European Green Deal transitions. Action 5 – The Commission will fund specific local actions that aim to support the inclusion of EU citizens in EU society via the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme. Action 6 – The Commission will raise EU-wide awareness about the importance of participation in culture for society and democracy through targeted actions including funding. 3.Facilitating the exercise of free movement and simplifying daily life 3.1.Improved legal certainty when exercising free movement rights The freedom of movement, which allows any EU citizen to live, work or study in any Member State, is EU citizens’ most cherished right. In a Eurobarometer survey, more than 8 in 10 respondents (84%) thought that the free movement of EU citizens within the EU brings overall benefits to the economy of their country. It is estimated that around 13.3 million EU citizens have exercised their right and moved to another Member State. Moving abroad can entail a number of legal and administrative challenges and the Commission has supported both Member States and EU citizens by issuing guidelines on the issues identified as problematic during transposition or when applying the free movement rules in practice. Since the last Citizenship Report, a number of new problematic issues have been identified and the European Court of Justice has delivered important judgments further clarifying the right to free movement of EU citizens and their family members. One issue was related to the fact that, due to differences in legal rules across Member States, family ties may not be given relevance when rainbow families (i.e. families where at least one member is LGBTIQ exercise their right of free movement. In its judgment in the Coman case, the Court of Justice held that, as regards the exercise of free movement rights, the term ‘spouse’ of an EU citizen in the Free Movement Directive also applies to a person of the same sex as the EU citizen to whom he or she is married . In another instance, non-EU family members holding a (permanent) residence card were not always able to benefit from the visa exemption when travelling from their host Member State to another Member State. The Court of Justice clarified in two judgments their right to benefit from such exemption . On minors covered by the Free Movement Directive , the Court of Justice found that the concept of a ‘direct descendant’ of an EU citizen used in the Free Movement Directive should be understood as including both the biological and the adopted child of an EU citizen. The Commission intends to review the 2009 guidelines on free movement in order to improve legal certainty for EU citizens exercising their free movement rights, and to ensure a more effective and uniform application of the free movement legislation across the EU. The reviewed guidelines should reflect the diversity of families and therefore help all families - including rainbow families – exercise their right to free movement. They should provide updated guidance for all interested parties, in particular EU citizens, and support the work of national authorities dealing with citizens’ rights, as well as courts and legal practitioners. When updating the guidelines, the Commission intends to address the application of restrictive measures on free movement, specifically those that are due to public health concerns. The COVID-19 outbreak has presented a number of unique challenges to free movement across the EU, with many Member States having imposed travel restrictions as a health precaution. In March 2020, the Commission adopted dedicated guidelines concerning the exercise of free movement of workers . To help gradually lift travel restrictions and coordinate the actions of individual Members States, in May 2020 the Commission presented a package of measures, including a common approach to restoring free movement, as well as a set of guidelines and recommendations for tourists, travellers and businesses, and criteria for restoring tourism. The flexible approach presented was based on epidemiological criteria, the application of containment measures, and economic and social distancing considerations. On 4 September 2020, the Commission presented a proposal for a Council Recommendation on a coordinated approach to the restriction of free movement in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was adopted by the Council on 13 October 2020. The Recommendation aims to ensure that any measures taken by Member States to restrict free movement due to COVID-19 are proportionate, non-discriminatory, well-coordinated and clearly communicated at EU level. The Commission also launched ‘Re-open EU’, a web platform with essential information in all EU languages for a safe relaunch of free movement and tourism across Europe. It includes real-time information on borders, travel restrictions, public health and safety measures, as well as other practical information for travellers. As indicated in its New Pact on Migration and Asylum, the Commission will adopt a Strategy on the future of Schengen, which reinforces the Schengen Borders Code and the Schengen evaluation mechanism, and establish a Schengen Forum to foster concrete cooperation and ways to deepen Schengen through a programme of support and cooperation to help end internal border controls. A first meeting of the Schengen Forum took place on 30 November 2020. Brexit has had a significant impact on those EU citizens - around 3.7 million - who, as a result of exercising their free movement rights when the UK was still a member of the EU, currently live in the UK. The Commission remains committed to protecting their rights. The Withdrawal Agreement guarantees these citizens and their family members broadly the same rights as they have now: they can continue to live, study, work and travel between their host country and the UK or the EU-27. The same applies to any EU citizen who moves to the UK before the end of the transition period. The Commission will help EU citizens in the UK to have full knowledge of their rights and will make sure to raise any potential implementation issues with the UK authorities. Part Two of the Withdrawal Agreement also protects the rights of the over 1 million UK nationals, who since 1 February 2020 are no longer EU citizens but still live in EU countries, safeguarding their right to live, work or study in their host country. It provides for residence rights, rights of entry and exit, right to work, the recognition of professional qualifications, and social security coordination. The correct implementation of the citizens’ rights part of the Withdrawal Agreement, including on disadvantaged groups, is a top priority for the Commission. All citizens should have all the necessary information to be able to exercise their rights. Action 7 – In 2022, the Commission will improve legal certainty for EU citizens exercising their free movement rights and for national administrations by updating the 2009 EU guidelines on free movement. The updated guidelines will take into account the diversity of families (rainbow families), the application of specific measures, such as those introduced due to public health concerns, as well as the relevant judgments by the Court of Justice. Action 8 – In line with the Withdrawal Agreement, the Commission will continue to support the protection of the rights of EU citizens who as a result of exercising their right to free movement while the UK was still a member of the EU, were resident in the UK before the end of the transition period. 3.2.Simplifying cross-border work and travel

In 2019, the EU introduced tighter security for identity cards and residence documents issued to EU citizens. The new cards will facilitate the daily lives of mobile EU citizens and their family members, frontier workers, students, tourists and other travellers. The new rules, which will become applicable on 2 August 2021, will improve the security of ID and residence cards across the EU by introducing minimum standards both for the information contained in them and for security features common to all Member States that issue such documents. The Commission will explore ways to encourage the use of digital tools and innovations that make use of the capabilities offered by ID cards issued according to the new rules for e-government and e-business services. The simplification of administrative procedures and formalities is critical for citizens moving from one Member State to another. This is particularly relevant for public documents such as birth certificates, proof of nationality or extracts from criminal records that were established abroad and need to be translated and legalised to be accepted by a public authority. The Public Documents Regulation became fully applicable on 16 February 2019, and makes it easier for citizens to exercise their right to freedom of movement within the EU. The Commission closely monitors the correct implementation of these new rules and actively supports Member States in overcoming the problems reported by citizens and authorities. EU citizens are entitled to move freely between EU Member States for work reasons without suffering discrimination in terms of employment conditions - including remuneration. Frontier workers are people who work in one EU Member State but live in another. In 2019, this term applied to 2 million of the 220 million employed people aged 20-64 in the EU, equivalent to nearly 1 % of the total EU workforce. In the field of taxation, there are no EU-level rules on the definition of frontier workers, the division of taxation rights between Member States or the tax rules to be applied. Neighbouring Member States with many citizens crossing borders to work often include special rules for frontier workers in their bilateral double taxation conventions. Such rules often apply to citizens living and working in a narrow zone along the border. Since these rules reflect the special situation between two Member States and are the result of negotiations between them, they vary from one double taxation convention to another. Income earned by a frontier worker may be taxed in one or both of the Member States concerned, depending on the tax arrangements. The Commission intends to issue recommendations to improve the situation of taxpayers with cross-border activities, including frontier workers. The Commission announced in its Tax Action Plan of July 2020 that it would launch in 2021 an initiative on EU taxpayers’ rights and to simplify tax obligations for EU citizens. Travelling between Member States can sometimes involve using several modes of transport (‘multimodality’). Multimodal journey planners provide European travellers with comprehensive door-to-door information so they can make well-informed travel decisions tailored to their needs. They seamlessly integrate information on different modes of transport, especially rail and local public transport and lead to a more efficient transport system. This will significantly benefit citizens, as it is not always easy to get accurate information on cross-border transport and connections. It should also make it possible for people to choose the modes of transport that are the least harmful for the environment. The Commission will increase its support for services that help people in the EU search for and book multimodal transport connections. Action 9 – The Commission will work with Member States to promote the inclusions of cross-border e-government and e-business solutions into newly issued ID cards. Action 10 – The Commission will launch in 2021 an initiative on EU taxpayers’ rights and to simplify tax obligations for EU citizens. Action 11 - The Commission will launch an initiative to support further the development of multimodal journey planners, as well as digital services facilitating the booking and payment of the different mobility offers. 4.Protecting and promoting EU citizenship 4.1.Protecting EU citizenship EU citizenship and the rights granted by it are anchored in the Treaties. Holding the nationality of a Member State is the one and only condition for being an EU citizen. Member States, when awarding nationality, must ensure that they do so without undermining the essence, value and integrity of EU citizenship. This integrity is undermined when Member States grant nationality and therefore EU citizenship in return for pre-determined levels of investment without any requirement for a real link between the investor and the country. EU values and principles such as solidarity among Member State nationals are weakened if being part of the European project, the enjoyment of its rights, and participation in its democratic life is subject to a mere economic transaction. These fundamental principles are further threatened by investor citizenship schemes which facilitate money laundering, tax evasion, and corruption, as highlighted in the Commission’s reports of January 2019 and July 2019 . On 20 October 2020, the Commission launched infringement procedures against two Member States because of their investor citizenship schemes, also referred to as ‘golden passport’ schemes. The Commission will continue to monitor the situation on investor residence schemes or ‘golden visas’, which pose similar risks. Action 12 – The Commission will continue to monitor the risks posed by investor schemes for EU citizenship, including in the context of ongoing infringement procedures, and intervene as necessary. 4.2. Promoting EU citizenship and EU values EU citizenship is underpinned by common values, as expressed in Article 2 of the Treaty, encompassing the respect for democracy, rule of law, equality and fundamental rights. The Eurobarometer survey conducted in 2019 showed that European citizens choose almost the same values as best representing the EU, i.e. democracy, human rights and the rule of law, topped only by peace. COVID-19 has challenged certain EU values, as it has led to temporary restrictions on fundamental rights and democratic values. Questions quickly arose on how elections should be run in these circumstances, how electoral campaigns can fairly take place, how citizens can make their opinions heard and what restrictions, if any, can be put in place. Addressing these issues is particularly important, knowing that in times of crisis the protection of democratic values is of utmost importance and that the circumstances that have led to such measures may well reoccur. The Commission will continue to facilitate Member States exchange best practices on these issues, including regulatory measures, in the European Cooperation Network on Elections. Even without the pandemic, polarisation has increased in Europe in recent years, as it has elsewhere, and European values have been challenged both from outside and inside the EU. To help promote a genuine rule of law culture among the general public, the Commission announced a number of actions in its July 2019 Communication on ‘Strengthening the rule of law within the Union – a blueprint for action’ . For example a dedicated public communication campaign on the rule of law. It also published its first annual Rule of Law Report on 30 September 2020, which is at the centre of the new European Rule of Law Mechanism. This will stimulate a permanent discussion on the rule of law, year after year, and help create a rule of law culture in the EU. Many Europeans see the Erasmus+ programme as one of the main achievements of the EU . Going abroad to study, learn, train and work or to participate in youth and sport activities contributes to strengthening European identity in all its diversity and fosters active citizenships among people of all ages. Erasmus+ encourages youth participation in Europe's democratic life, raising awareness about European common values including fundamental rights and bringing together young people and decision makers at local, national and Union level. Jean Monnet actions of Erasmus+ programme foster a sense of European identity and commitment through the development of excellence in European integration studies. The future Erasmus+ will expand Jean Monnet actions from the field of higher education to other fields of education and training. Citizenship education is designed to promote active citizenship and help young people discover their place in today’s complex society. Possible activities include volunteering with the European Solidarity Corps, taking part in virtual experiences through the Erasmus+ virtual exchange or going abroad and discovering new cultures through Discover EU. In addition, the Council Recommendation on Promoting common values, inclusive education and the European dimension of teaching invites Member States to step up their efforts to promote common values such as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. The Recommendation also calls for more inclusive education systems, better support for educational staff and teaching about Europe and its Member States to help increase a sense of belonging to one's school, local community, country and also the European family. The Commission will continue to work on innovative projects that promote young people's citizenship education and experiences, including through the future Erasmus programme (2021-2027). European values can also apply when conducting economic activities. The social economy includes business structures such as cooperatives, mutual societies, non-profit associations, foundations and social enterprises whatever their legal forms. Besides generating millions of jobs, such businesses and organisations are also the engine for social innovation. The sector puts people, solidarity, and democracy at the heart of its work. It provides answers to contemporary problems and fosters the idea of citizenship. This is particularly illustrated by the numerous associations and charities it encompasses, and the acceleration of the volunteering phenomenon in many European countries. The social economy promotes an 'economy that works for the people'. With its action plan for social economy due for adoption in the second half of 2021, the Commission will adopt new measures to improve the enabling environment for social economy and social innovation and thereby foster social inclusion and participation. As such, the Commission will continue to develop its European social economy regions project (ESER) and will organise, with the City of Mannheim, the European Social Economy Summit in May 2021.

In its political guidelines, the Commission underlined the importance of tackling inequality in the EU. The EU can only reach its full potential if it uses all of its talent and diversity. The fact that people in the EU continue to face discrimination weakens the EU’s social cohesion, deprives the economy of its full potential, and is a direct challenge to fundamental rights and EU values. In line with the commitment of President von der Leyen to build a “Union of Equality’, the Commission adopted the 2020-2025 EU gender equality strategy, EU anti-racism action plan and strategic frameworks on LGBTIQ and Roma. The Commission Work Programme for 2021 includes further initiatives in this area, such as: Proposal to prevent and combat gender-based violence and domestic violence, Initiative to extend the list of EU crimes to all forms of hate crime and hate speech, Strategy on the rights of persons with disabilities and Communication on the EU strategy on combating antisemitism. Action 13 – The Commission will propose new equality and anti-discrimination measures, as announced in the strategic documents. Action 14 – The Commission will support young Europeans’ sense of European identity through the ERASMUS+ programme, the European Solidarity Corps Programme and the Jean Monnet Actions. Action 15 – The Commission will continue to monitor the impact of restrictive measures, specifically those put in place during crises, on EU citizenship rights, free and fair elections and a fair democratic debate until such measures are lifted and will continue to facilitate Member States exchange best practices on these issues in the European Cooperation Network on Elections. 5.Protecting EU citizens in Europe and abroad, including in times of crisis/emergency 5.1 Solidarity in action for citizens in the EU The COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences has highlighted the value of solidarity between Member States, as well as individual members of society. The pandemic has affected Europeans in different ways, depending on their social status, gender, the sector they work in, whether they are considered essential or non-essential workers, and most seriously - in terms of its health impact - depending on their age and underlying conditions. The pandemic has also highlighted and exacerbated existing inequalities in our society. The European response has been multifaceted, involving the EU and national governments, industry, civil society and citizens active within their communities. To protect lives and livelihoods, and to secure a lasting and prosperous recovery, the Commission has proposed NextGenerationEU – a recovery programme of EUR 750 billion, as well as targeted reinforcements to the 2021-2027 EU budget. The Commission is committed to keeping equality at the heart of the recovery, to ensure sustainable and long-term stability. The European public expects the EU to respond more effectively to health crises in the future. As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and recognising that new COVID-19 vaccines could provide a contribution to exiting from the pandemic, the Commission has developed an ambitious EU strategy for COVID-19 vaccines , adopted in June 2020, to secure access to such vaccines via Advance Purchase Agreements with leadings producers of COVID-19 vaccines. It also supports Member States in preparing for the successful deployment and sufficient uptake of COVID-19 vaccines once available. The Commission is also building a strong European Health Union, which will better protect citizens’ health, equip the EU and its Member States to better prevent and address future pandemics, and improve the resilience of Europe’s health systems. To this end, the Commission adopted, on 11 November 2020, a proposal for a regulation on serious cross-border threats to health to further protect the health of Europeans and collectively respond to cross-border health crises, together with proposals to extend the mandates of the European Medicines Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The Commission has also proposed a new EU health programme - EU4Health, which will support actions to protect citizens in the Union from serious cross-border threats to health, to improve the availability in the Union of medicines, medical devices and other crisis relevant products, contribute to their affordability, support innovation and to strengthen health systems and the healthcare workforce, including through the digital transformation. From the start of the von der Leyen Commission, fully implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights has been a political priority. Ensuring that all workers in the EU earn a decent living is essential for the recovery, as well as for building fair and resilient economies, and minimum wages have an important role to play in this. Minimum wages are relevant both in countries relying solely on collectively agreed wage floors and in those with a statutory minimum wage. The Commission proposal was adopted on 28 October 2020. The European Pillar of Social Rights will be the compass of Europe’s recovery and the best tool to ensure that no one is left behind. The Commission has announced that it will put forward an ambitious action plan to ensure full implementation of the Pillar. The action plan will contribute to socio-economic recovery and resilience in the medium and long-term, with a view to enhance social fairness of the digital and green transitions. The crisis has also negatively impacted the lives of young people, which can in part be alleviated by the Youth Guarantee. Launched at the peak of the previous youth employment crisis in 2013, the Youth Guarantee has had a significant transformative effect in many Member States. Since its launch, over 24 million young people have been offered employment, or continued education, a traineeship or an apprenticeship as a stepping stone towards a future career. In its 2020 youth employment support package, the Commission proposed further measures to support young people in the labour market, including by strengthening the Youth Guarantee and extending its outreach to disadvantaged young people across the EU. Action 16 – The Commission will implement the EU strategy for COVID-19 vaccines together with the Member States, giving all citizens quick, equitable and affordable access to these vaccines. The Commission will continue its work on building a strong European Health Union, in which Member States prepare and respond together to health crises, medical supplies are available, affordable and innovative, and countries work together to improve prevention, treatment and aftercare for diseases such as cancer. Action 17 – The Commission will increase its support for young EU citizens, including those from disadvantaged groups, to help them access education, training and finally the labour market through the strengthened Youth Guarantee scheme. 5.2. Solidarity in action for EU citizens outside the EU Prior to the global pandemic, a growing number of Europeans travelled outside the EU - including to remote destinations. It is estimated that close to 7 million EU citizens travel or live in places where they are unrepresented. However, not all EU Member States have an embassy or a consulate in every country of the world. The right to equal access to consular protection is one of the specific rights that the Treaties grant to EU citizens and is a tangible example of European solidarity. Member States must assist unrepresented EU citizens in a third country under the same conditions as they assist their own nationals. According to Flash Eurobarometer 485 survey, around three quarters of respondents (76%) are aware of this right. While consular protection is mostly provided on a day-to-day basis to individual EU citizens in distress around the world, there are larger events that require EU-27 coordination and common action. A number of events requiring common action have arisen in recent years, including natural disasters, terrorist attacks, civil unrest and preparation for global sporting events, but never to the extent and complexity as during the COVID-19 outbreak. In an unprecedented repatriation effort, Member States, supported by the European Commission and the European External Action Service, managed, between February and May 2020, to bring home over half a million European citizens affected by COVID-19 travel restrictions across the world. The Commission co-financed joint repatriation flights from the EU budget through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism at up to 75%. This effort demonstrated EU solidarity in action during a difficult period, and the benefits of consular protection as part of EU citizenship rights. When organising the repatriation of EU citizens stranded abroad due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Member States rightly did not treat unrepresented and represented EU citizens differently. Where repatriation capacities were available, all European citizens were assisted.

The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated the need to further strengthen EU solidarity to better protect EU citizens abroad, in particular during crises. There are still large differences between Member States as regards their capacity to provide assistance in third countries, including in terms of the size of their consular networks, number of local staff and material assets available for repatriation. This can affect not only unrepresented EU citizens, but also represented EU citizens when their Member State is not in position to provide timely assistance during a crisis. The lessons learnt from the crisis shed light on the important role played by EU delegations who coordinated with EU Member States to repatriate citizens, helping prepare the lists of people on commercial flights and on flights organised by EU governments. Current EU law limits the role of EU delegations to coordination and information provision, but most EU citizens would welcome their more active role in providing support to EU citizens in need. As part of its key priority ‘A stronger Europe in the world’, the Commission will review of the consular protection Directive to facilitate the exercise of the Union citizenship right to consular protection and to reinforce EU solidarity to better protect EU citizens abroad, in particular during crises. This would enhance cooperation among Member States and strengthen the EU’s supporting role, making best use of its unique network of EU delegations to provide consular assistance to EU citizens in case of need, for example, by allowing them to organise of repatriation flights and issue emergency travel documents. EU delegations should complement Member States’ consular networks, in particular in third countries where no or very few individual Member States are represented. As not all of these challenges can be addressed on the basis of Article 23 TFEU (consular protection), the Commission will also reflect on whether to expand the EU citizenship right to consular protection based on Article 25(2) TFEU. Action 18 – The Commission will review in 2021 EU rules on consular protection in order to improve the EU’s and Member States’ preparedness and capacity to protect and support European citizens in times of crisis. 6.Conclusions EU citizenship is at the core of the European project. Citizens look to the EU to protect their rights and add value to different areas of their lives. The global health crisis has further illustrated the reality of today’s EU, where the multitude of cross-border connections and spill-over effects make common European approaches necessary to protect the lives and livelihoods of Europeans. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, new political, social and technological challenges prompted the rethinking of old approaches and the introduction of new actions to protect and improve the ability of EU citizens to exercise their three main rights: freedom of movement; participation in free and fair elections; and consular protection outside the EU. However, as this report reflects, the concept of EU citizenship and the EU's actions focused on the citizen, goes beyond this. The Commission continuously monitors and assesses the situation in the Member States and acts in accordance with the EU treaties and the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice. It will propose legislative actions in a number of areas in the coming years in order to close gaps and improve legal certainty for citizens in exercising their rights. In other areas, the full enjoyment of citizens’ rights does not only depend on legislation, but also on its implementation, which would change the context, enabling citizens to benefit fully from the spirit of these rights. In these areas, this report puts forward actions through which the Commission will work towards achieving the necessary changes. The Commission is committed to implementing the actions set out in this report. To this end, it will work in partnership with others – EU institutions, Member States, local and regional authorities, civil society and, most importantly, citizens themselves.