Report from the Commission - Third Report from the Commission on Citizenship of the Union
Date: 2001-09-07
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: European citizenship, Treaty on European Union, access to information, civil rights, free movement of persons

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 07.09.2001
COM(2001) 506 final

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This report focuses on the rights provided for in the second part of the EC Treaty. However, it
includes  advances  in  areas  closely  related  to  citizenship  in  the  wider  sense,  such  as  the
protection  of  fundamental  rights,  including  measures  to  combat  all  forms  of  illegal
discrimination.

Two texts deserve special mention here: the proposal for a Directive on the right of citizens of
the  Union  and  their  family  members  to  move  and  reside  freely  within  the  territory  of  the
Member States and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

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The proposal for a Directive on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to
move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States, adopted by the Commission
on  23  May  2001,  is  a  product  of  the  legal  and  political  environment  created  by  the
introduction of citizenship of the Union. Its principal  aim is to replace the various pieces of
legislation  existing  in  this  area  by  a  single  legislative  instrument,  to  relax  and  simplify  the
conditions  and  formalities  associated  with  the  exercise  of  this  right  and  to  clarify  the
restrictions that may be placed on these rights for reasons of public policy, public security and
public health.

The  most  important  change  introduced  by  this  proposal  is  that  after  four  years  of
uninterrupted  residence  individuals  will  acquire  a  permanent  right  of  residence  in  the  host
Member State. Once acquired, this right is no longer subject to any conditions.

The  proposed  Directive  significantly  relaxes  and  simplifies  the  conditions  and  formalities
associated  with  the  exercise  of  the  right  of  residence.  It  defines  and  clarifies  the  scope  for
refusing  or  terminating  residence  for  reasons  of  public  policy,  public  security  and  public
health.

It thus provides a solution to the main problems and obstacles to the exercise of the right of
free movement identified on several occasions by the Commission.

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The Heads of State and Government meeting in Cologne on 3 and 4 June 1999 agreed on the
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To  carry  out  this  task  the  European  Council  decided  to  convene  an  DG(cid:3) KRF  body  (which
became known as the Convention), consisting of representatives of the European Parliament,
national parliaments, national governments and the Commission.

Between 17 December 1999 (the date of its first meeting)  and 2 October  2000  (the  date  on
which the text was presented to the European Council in Biarritz), the Convention produced a
remarkable piece of work, successfully forging a broad consensus on a draft Charter that was
ambitious and innovative but at the same time pragmatic.

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The Charter was proclaimed by the three institutions in Nice. It was not incorporated into the
Treaties, but its legal status will have to be examined after the public debate to be launched in
preparation for the Intergovernmental Conference in 2004.

The  Charter  brings  together  for  the  first  time  in  a  single  text  all  personal  rights:  civil  and
political  rights,  economic  and  social  rights  and  rights  of  citizens  of  the  European  Union.  It
contains 54 Articles, preceded by a preamble. Apart from the general provisions at the end of
the text (Articles 51 to 54), the Articles are grouped around six fundamental values: dignity
(Articles  1  to  5);  freedoms  (Articles  6  to  19);  equality  (Articles  20  to  26);  solidarity
(Articles 27 to 38); citizens’ rights (Articles 39 to 46); and justice (Articles 47 to 50).

It  is  important  to  remember  that,  as  stated  in  Article  51,  the  provisions  of  the  Charter  are
addressed to the institutions and bodies of the Union and to the Member States RQO\(cid:3)ZKHQ(cid:3)WKH\
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Chapter V of the Charter, on citizens’ rights, lists the rights that feature in the second part of
the  EC  Treaty:  the  right  to  vote  and  stand  as  a  candidate  at  elections  to  the  European
Parliament  (Article  39),  the  right  to  vote  and  stand  as  a  candidate  at  municipal  elections
(Article 40), the right to refer matters to the Ombudsman (Article 43), the right to petition the
European  Parliament  (Article  44),  freedom  of  movement  and  residence  (Article  45),
diplomatic and consular protection (Article 46). This chapter of the Charter also includes the
right of access to documents (Article 42), which appears in Article 255 of the Treaty, and, in
recognition  of  the  ever  increasing  importance  of  fair  administrative  procedures  in
safeguarding personal rights and interests, the right to good administration (Article 41). This
is an innovation introduced by the Charter,  which  draws  on the principles laid down in  this
area by a considerable body of Court of Justice case law.

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The Commission notes that the turnout for the June 1999 elections to the European Parliament
by European Union citizens residing in another Member State was very  low (9%),  although
higher than in 1994 and on the increase in every Member State except Germany.

The Commission is urging all  Member States to introduce a system of direct  and  personnel
contact  with  Community  electors  and  to  explore  other  avenues,  such  as  making  electoral
registration forms available at every contact with the local or national authorities.

With regard to municipal elections, the Commission will produce a report by March 2002 on
the application of the Directive and the increase in the electorate since its entry into force.

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The decisions taken by the representatives of the Member State governments to give effect to
this  right  have  not  entered  into  force  because  not  all  Member  States  have  introduced  the
necessary procedures in their internal legal order to ensure application.

In practice, however, all Member States appear to have taken steps to ensure that EU citizens
enjoy diplomatic and consular protection in those non-member countries where their country
of origin does not have representation.

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Despite a slight drop, the number of petitions presented to Parliament remains high (3274 in
the period 1997-2000, compared to 3628 in 1994-1997).

The large number of petitions that are deemed inadmissible suggests that the public does not
have a clear idea of the powers of the European Union and the rights that Union citizenship
confers.

The number of complaints addressed to the Ombudsman increased steadily between 1997 and
1999 (1181 complaints in 1997, 1372 in 1998 and 1577 in 1999). However, a large number of
these were declared inadmissible (73% in 1997, 69% in 1998 et 73% in 1999) on the grounds
that they were not within the European Ombudsman’s remit.

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1997  was  declared  European  Year  Against  Racism  and  was  the  occasion  for  important
initiatives and advances to tackle racism. These included the Action Plan against Racism and
the  creation  of  a  European  network  against  racism  and  the  launch  of  a  centre  to  monitor
racism and xenophobia.  Racism  is a threat  to European  societies.  The  European  institutions
have an important role to play in combating this scourge.

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The  Commission  adopted  several  instruments  to  implement  Article  13  of  the  EC  Treaty.
Directive 2000/43/EC prohibits discrimination in any Member State on the grounds of racial
or ethnic origin in areas such as employment, education, social security, healthcare and access
to goods and services. Directive 2000/78/EC establishes a general framework  for combating
discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation in the
area of employment and occupation. Finally, Decision 2000/750/EC established a Community
action programme to combat discrimination.

These initiatives demonstrate the Community’s determination to promote a more just society
and adopt a pragmatic approach, focusing on the main areas where discrimination is found.

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The need to provide citizens with more information about their rights is stressed repeatedly in
this report.

Several  important  initiatives  have  been  taken  in  recent  years,  such  as  the  launch  of  the
“Dialogue  with  Citizens  and  Business”,  the  creation  of  “Europe  Direct”  and  the  “Citizens
Signpost Service”.

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,1752’8&7,21

Article 22 of the EC Treaty states that WKH(cid:3)&RPPLVVLRQ(cid:3)LV(cid:3)WR(cid:3)UHSRUW(cid:3)WR(cid:3)WKH(cid:3)(XURSHDQ
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RI(cid:3)WKH(cid:3)GHYHORSPHQW(cid:3)RI(cid:3)WKH(cid:3)8QLRQ(cid:17)

Two  reports  have  already  been  adopted  under  this  provision.  The  first  covered  the
year 1993,1 the second the period from 1994 to 1996.2

This Third Report on Citizenship of the Union should therefore cover the years 1997,
1998 and 1999. However, the Commission felt that the Third Report should also deal
with two important developments in the area of citizenship: the proclamation of the
Charter  of  Fundamental  Rights  (at  the  Nice  European  Council  in  December  2000)
and the adoption by the Commission of the proposal for a Directive on the right of
citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the
territory of the Member States3 (recasting the right of residence).

This  Third  Report  will  therefore  cover  a  longer  period,  up  to  the  adoption  by  the
Commission of its proposal to recast the right of residence.

In accordance with Article 22 of the EC Treaty, this report will concentrate on  WKH
DSSOLFDWLRQ(cid:3) RI(cid:3) WKH(cid:3) SURYLVLRQV(cid:3) RI(cid:3) WKH(cid:3) VHFRQG(cid:3) SDUW(cid:3) RI(cid:3) WKH(cid:3) (&(cid:3) 7UHDW\  entitled
"Citizenship of the Union".  It  will therefore  review the  scope of  Union  citizenship,
free movement and residence in the territory of the Member States, the right to vote
and  stand  as  a  candidate  at  municipal  elections  and  elections  to  the  European
Parliament in the Member State of residence, diplomatic and consular protection and
the  right  to  petition  the  European  Parliament  and  to  take  complaints  to  the
Ombudsman.

However, under the terms of Article 17(2) of the EC Treaty, FLWL]HQV(cid:3)RI(cid:3)WKH(cid:3)8QLRQ(cid:3)DUH
WR(cid:3) HQMR\(cid:3) WKH(cid:3) ULJKWV(cid:3) FRQIHUUHG(cid:3) E\(cid:3) WKLV(cid:3) 7UHDW\(cid:3) DQG(cid:3) DUH(cid:3) WR(cid:3) EH(cid:3) VXEMHFW(cid:3) WR(cid:3) WKH(cid:3) GXWLHV
LPSRVHG(cid:3)WKHUHE\.(cid:3)The rights that feature in Part Two of the Treaty, under the heading
Citizenship of  the Union, thus  form the core of  the  rights  conferred  by  citizenship,
but are not an exhaustive list. The EC Treaty confers on citizens of the Union other
rights  which  appear elsewhere in the Treaties, such  as protection  from  all  forms  of
discrimination on grounds of nationality (Article 12).

It  is  therefore  legitimate  for  this  Third  Report  on  Citizenship  of  the  Union  to  go
beyond  the  specific  rights  featuring  in  the  second  part  of  the  EC  Treaty  and  to
examine subjects that have an obvious connection with citizenship of the Union, such
as the fight against all forms of discrimination and, more generally, the protection of
fundamental rights in the Union.

1

2

3

COM(93) 702 final.
COM(97) 230 final.
COM(2001) 257 final.

6

                                                
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The term "citizenship" is difficult to define, particularly when it is used almost as a
synonym  for  words  like  "nationality"  or  even  "identity".  While  one  might  share
Condorcet’s  view  that  "ZH(cid:3) DUH(cid:3) QRW(cid:3) ERUQ(cid:3) FLWL]HQV(cid:3) EXW(cid:3) EHFRPH(cid:3) FLWL]HQV(cid:3) WKURXJK
HGXFDWLRQ", the EC Treaty  defines  citizenship of  the  Union  more  prosaically:  HYHU\
SHUVRQ(cid:3) KDYLQJ(cid:3) WKH(cid:3) QDWLRQDOLW\(cid:3) RI(cid:3) D(cid:3) 0HPEHU(cid:3) 6WDWH(cid:3) VKDOO(cid:3) EH(cid:3) D(cid:3) FLWL]HQ(cid:3) RI(cid:3) WKH(cid:3) 8QLRQ.
Citizenship  of  the  Union,  as  commentators  have  pointed  out,  is  thus  something
“superimposed” on  national  and in  some  cases  regional  or  local  citizenship  to  give
the  effect  of  multiple  levels.  This  was  explicitly  spelled  out  in  the  Treaty  of
Amsterdam,  which  added  the  following  clause  to  Article  17(1):  FLWL]HQVKLS(cid:3) RI(cid:3) WKH
8QLRQ(cid:3)VKDOO(cid:3)FRPSOHPHQW(cid:3)DQG(cid:3)QRW(cid:3)UHSODFH(cid:3)QDWLRQDO(cid:3)FLWL]HQVKLS.

The  Commission  notes  that  citizens  do  not  always  properly  understand  the  link
between citizenship of a Member State and citizenship of the Union.4

It is therefore worth pointing out that:

–  it is for each Member State to lay down the conditions for acquiring and losing the
nationality  of  that  state.  Declaration  No  2  annexed  to  the  Treaty  of  Maastricht
(which  instituted  citizenship  of  the  Union)  clearly  states  that  ZKHUHYHU(cid:3) LQ(cid:3) WKH
7UHDW\(cid:3) HVWDEOLVKLQJ(cid:3) WKH(cid:3) (XURSHDQ(cid:3) &RPPXQLW\(cid:3) UHIHUHQFH(cid:3) LV(cid:3) PDGH(cid:3) WR(cid:3) QDWLRQDOV(cid:3) RI
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–  there  is  no  separate  way  of  acquiring  citizenship  of  the  Union.  Nationality  of  a
Member State  is  the only  way  to  acquire  citizenship  of  the  Union.  On  the  other
hand, Member  States cannot deny the status  of  citizen  of  the  Union,  even  if  the
person concerned is also a national of a non-member country.5

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4

5

The Commission receives a considerable number of letters from people asking how they can become a
citizen of the Union without first obtaining the citizenship of a Member State. See also the statement by
Mr Emil Scuka, President of the International Union of Roma at a press conference in the Italian Senate
on  4  December  2000:  "The  proper  citizenship  for  Roma  living  in  Europe  is  European  citizenship"
(quoted in a report by Agence France Presse on 4 December 2000).
Judgment of 7.7.1992 in Case C-369/90 0LFKHOHWWL [1992] ECR I-4239.

7

                                                
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Article 18 of the EC Treaty confers on all citizens of the Union the right to move and
reside freely within the territory of the Member States. Incorporated in Part Two of
the Treaty, this right has the status of a fundamental, personal right.

As the Second Report on Citizenship of the Union made clear, WKH(cid:3)ULJKW(cid:3)RI(cid:3)HQWU\(cid:3)DQG
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The  need  to  recast  the  legislation  in  the  light  of  citizenship  of  the  Union  was
recognised  by  the  Commission,6  confirmed  by  the  Brussels  European  Council  in
December 19937 and reiterated by the Nice European Council .8

The  difficulties  involved  in  this  recasting  exercise  are  well  known  and  were
discussed in the Second Report on Citizenship of the Union.9

On 23 May 2001 the Commission adopted a proposal for a Directive on the rights of
citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the
territory of the Member States.10 The legal basis for the text is Articles 12, 18(2), 40,
44 and 52 of the Treaty.11

The  proposal  for  a  Directive  is  a  product  of  the  legal  and  political  environment
created by the introduction of citizenship of the Union. It takes account of the results
of  the  report  of  the  high-level  panel  on  the  free  movement  of  persons,  the
Commission Communication on the follow-up to the recommendations of the high-
level panel,12 the Second Report on Citizenship, the European Parliament resolutions
and the past rulings of the Court of Justice.

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Commission  report  to  the  European  Council  on  the  adaptation  of  Community  legislation  to  the
subsidiarity principle: COM(93) 545 final, 24.11.1993.
Council Conclusions – Bull. EC 12-1993, p. 14, point I.14.
Council Conclusions, Annex I, point I, h), third indent.
See point 4.3, p. 17-18.
COM(2001) 257.
The  use  of  the  specific  legal  bases  of  Articles  40,  44  and  52,  which  cover  individuals  who  are
economically  active  in  the  host  Member  State,  was  necessary  in  order  to  maintain  the  specific  rights
provided for this category of individuals.
COM(1998) 403.

8

                                                
The aims of the proposed Directive are as follows:

–  to replace the various existing pieces of legislation with a single legal instrument;

–  to relax the conditions and formalities associated with the exercise, by citizens of
the Union, of the right of free movement and residence in the Member States;

–  to introduce the right of permanent residence;

–  to make it easier for family members to exercise the right of free movement and

residence;

–  to clarify and set limits to these rights for reasons of public policy, public security

and public health.

The proposed Directive applies to all categories of people benefiting from the right
of  residence:  salaried  employees,  the  self-employed,  students,  the  economically
inactive and pensioners.

The  proposal  reduces  to  a  strict  minimum  the  conditions  and  administrative
formalities  associated  with  exercising  the  right  of  residence.  For  residence  of  less
than six months the only requirement is a valid identity document. For residence of
over  six  months  citizens  of  the  Union  must  convince  the  host  Member  State,  by
means of a simple declaration, that they are able to perform an economic activity or
have sufficient resources and a health insurance. For initial periods of residence up to
four years, the residence card for citizens of the Union is abolished and replaced by
registration with the relevant registry office in the place of residence.

The  main  innovation  of  this  proposal  lies  in  the  fact  that  after  four  years  of
uninterrupted  residence  citizens  acquire  a  permanent  right  of  residence  in  the  host
Member  State.  Once  acquired,  this  right  is  no  longer  subject  to  conditions  and  is
attested to by a special document.

The  proposal  also  makes  it  easier  for  family  members  to  exercise  the  right  of  free
movement and residence. Family members who are nationals of third countries also
enjoy  greater  legal  protection,  for  example  in  the  event  of  the  death  of  the  Union
citizen  on  whom  they  depend,  or  the  dissolution  of  the  marriage,  under  certain
circumstances.

Finally, the proposal further restricts the scope for refusing or terminating residence
on grounds of public policy, public security and public health. It ensures that citizens
of  the  Union  enjoy  better  administrative  and  legal  protection  in  the  context  of
measures  limiting  their  right  of  residence.  It  even  offers  complete  protection  to
minors and to those who have acquired a permanent right of residence, by ruling out
their  expulsion  on  grounds  of  public  policy.  In  this  respect  it  incorporates  and
replaces the provisions of Council Directive 64/221/EEC of 25 February 1964 on the
co-ordination of special measures concerning the movement and residence of foreign
nationals  which  are  justified  on  grounds  of  public  policy,  public  security  or  public
health.13

13

OJ 56, 4.4.1964, p. 850/64. Directive last amended by Directive 75/35/EEC (OJ L 14, 20.1.1975 p. 14).

9

                                                
(cid:22)(cid:17)(cid:20)(cid:17)(cid:21)(cid:17)

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LQDFWLYH(cid:15)(cid:3)UHWLUHG(cid:3)SHRSOH(cid:3)DQG(cid:3)VWXGHQWV

On  17  March  1999  the  Commission  adopted  a  report14  on  the  implementation  of
Directives  90/364/EEC15  (right  of  residence  of 
inactive),
90/365/EEC16 (right of residence of retired people) and 93/9617 (right of residence of
students).

the  economically 

The report found there had been delays in transposing the Directives in most Member
States,  with  only  three  of  them  completing  the  process  by  the  deadline  of
30 June 1992. In a judgment of 20 March 1997,18 the Court of Justice ruled against
Germany  for  failing  to  adopt  the  provisions  needed  to  transpose  Directives  90/364
and 90/365 within the specified deadline.

The content of the legislation transposing the Directives has also been unsatisfactory,
and  the  Commission  has  had  to  institute  infringement  proceedings  for  incorrect
transposal  against  14  Member  States.  Most  of  these  proceedings  were,  however,
dropped  at  a  later  stage,  as  the  Member  States  amended  their  legislation.  The
Commission did, however, have to take Italy to the Court of Justice. In a judgment of
25 May 2000,19 the Court of Justice found that Italy had failed to fulfil its obligations
under  Directives  90/364,  90/365  and  93/96,  by  limiting  the  types  of  proof  which
could be submitted and, in particular, by providing that certain documents had to be
issued  or  certified  by  the  authorities  of  another  Member  State,  and  by  requiring
students  to  guarantee  that  they  had  resources  of  a  certain  amount  and  not  clearly
leaving the student a choice between making a declaration and taking any alternative
but equivalent course of action, and finally by not allowing the declaration to be used
where students were accompanied by family members.

The  Member  States  finally  accepted  the  logic  of  the  Commission’s  arguments  and
amended  their  transposal  measures  accordingly.  However,  the  long-drawn  out
infringement  proceedings  meant  that  for  a  relatively  long  time  the  citizens  of  the
Union  were  deprived  of  some  of  their  rights,  or  confronted  with  unwarranted
administrative problems because of incorrect transposal.

The Commission believes that there is a need to:

•  improve the provision of information to the public about the extent of their rights

in the area of free movement;

•  to continue to enforce compliance with existing Community law, for example by

vigilant monitoring of Member States’ administrative practices;

14

15

16

17

18

19

COM(1999)127 final.
OJ L 180, 13.7.1990, p. 26.
OJ L 180, 13.7.1990, p. 28.
OJ L 317, 18.12.1993, p. 59. Directive 93/96 was adopted after the annulment of Directive 90/366 by
Court of Justice.
Case C-96/95 &RPPLVVLRQ(cid:3)Y(cid:3)*HUPDQ\ [1997] ECR I-1653.
Case C-424/98 &RPPLVVLRQ(cid:3)Y(cid:3),WDO\(cid:3)[2000] ECR I-4001.

10

                                                
•  to  make  Community 

law  on 

the  free  movement  of 

individuals  more
comprehensible  and  to  reorganise  it  around  the  concept  of  citizenship.  On
23 May 2001 the Commission followed up this final recommendation by adopting
the proposal for a Directive on the right of citizens of the Union and their family
members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States (see
point 3.1.1. above).

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The  right  of  citizens  of  the  Union  to  free  movement,  a  fundamental  and  personal
right conferred without regard to any economic context, is subject to restrictions and
conditions laid down by the Treaty and the provisions implementing it.

Articles 39(3), 46(1) and 55 of the EC Treaty, in particular, allow the Member States
to restrict the free movement of persons on grounds of public policy, public security
or  public  health.  Such  measures  must  comply  with  the  provisions  of  Council
Directive 64/221/EEC of 25 February 1964.21

Noting  that  this  Directive  had  been  extensively  interpreted  by  the  Court  of  Justice
over  the  years  and  that  the  introduction  of  citizenship  of  the  Union  changed  the
context  in  which  the  Directive  had  to  be  interpreted,  and  taking  account  of  the
lessons to be learnt  from the many complaints  by  citizens  about implementation of
the  Directive,  the  Commission  decided  to  adopt  a  communication  with  the  aim  of
drawing attention to the main difficulties raised by implementation of this Directive
and of providing certain guidelines on how to resolve these difficulties.

In its Communication the Commission concluded that:

•  The Treaty establishing the European Community provides for Member States to
introduce  national  provisions  on  grounds  of  public  policy,  public  security  or
public health and allows them certain discretionary powers.

•  The application of a national definition and national criteria to any measure taken
on  grounds  of  public  policy,  public  security  or  public  health  is  still  subject  to
compliance with Community law. More particularly, when reaching a decision on
expelling  a  person  from  their  national  territory,  national  authorities  should  be
guided  by  the  personal  and  fundamental  right  of  citizens  of  the  Union  to  free
movement as well as the principle of proportionality and respect for fundamental
rights.

•  Any  measure  taken  on  grounds  of  public  policy  or  public  security  should  be
properly  justified  by  a  real  and  sufficiently  serious  threat  to  one  of  the  society’s
fundamental  interests  and  must  respect  the  individual’s  fundamental  rights  as
guaranteed in the Community legal order.

20

21

COM(1999)372 final, 19.7.1999.
OJ 56, 4.4.1964, p. 850.

11

                                                
•  Any  administrative  or  legal  guarantee  laid  down  by  Directive  64/221/EEC,  as
interpreted by the Court of Justice, must be strictly respected, including the right
to be informed of the reasons for any measure taken and its consequences, and the
right to have the case reviewed.

•  A  comprehensive  assessment  should  be  made  of  the  individual’s  personal
circumstances  (family,  social,  cultural  situation)  before  a  measure  is  taken  to
expel  a  citizen  of  the  Union  or  a  member  of  his/her  family,  regardless  of
nationality, from the national territory. Such an assessment should be made  case
by  case,  without  invoking  grounds  of  general  prevention.  Previous  criminal
convictions  are  just  one  of  the  factors  to  be  taken  into  account  in  this  overall
assessment and do not, by themselves, justify any measures taken on  grounds of
public policy or public security.

•  Special  attention  should  be  paid  to  preserving  the  rights  (including  the  right  to
privacy) of citizens of the Union who are long-term residents or minors, and the
rights  of  the  most  vulnerable  group  of  beneficiaries,  i.e.  third-country  nationals
who are members of the family of a Union citizen.

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Two instruments deal  with  questions  of mobility in the  areas  of education, training
and research:

–  Recommendation  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  on  mobility
within  the  Community  for  students,  persons  undergoing  training,  young
volunteers, teachers and trainers, adopted on 25 June 2001.

–  the Action Plan for mobility, an initiative by the French Presidency in conjunction
with  the  Commission  in  response  to  the  mandate  from  the  Lisbon  European
Council, adopted in the form of a resolution by the Council on 14 December 2000
and approved by the Nice European Council.

The  mobility  of  people  involved  in  training,  education  or  voluntary  work  is
becoming  an increasingly important aspect  of the  assertion of European citizenship
and a means of intercultural and social integration.

On  the  basis  of  Articles  149  and  150  of  the  Treaty,  the  Recommendation  seeks  to
remove  the  main  obstacles  that  still  remain  to  the  free  movement  of  students,
trainees, young volunteers, teachers and trainers. It calls on Member States to devise
strategies  to  incorporate  the  aspect  of  transnational  mobility  into  their  national
policies for the groups targeted by the Recommendation.

The  Recommendation  and  Action  Plan  also  call  on  the  Commission  to  cooperate
with  the Member States in  the exchange  of  information  about  the  opportunities  for
transnational mobility, aimed at the specific target groups, with a view to facilitating
access,  for  example  by  developing  an  Internet  portal  providing  easy  access  to  the
various sources of information on mobility.

Finally,  the  Recommendation  and  Action  Plan  provide  for  a  progress  report  to  be
produced for Parliament and the Council every two years.

12

The  Commission  is  also  working  on  removing  obstacles  to  the  mobility  of
researchers,  in  line  with  the  objectives  set  by  the  Lisbon  European  Council  on
23-24 March 2000  in  the  framework  of  setting  up  a  European  Research  Area.  In
July 2000  the  Commission  established  a  High-Level  Expert  Group  on  Improving
Mobility  of  Researchers:  this  group  published  a  report  on  the  basis  of  which  the
Commission issued a Communication entitled "A Mobility Strategy for the European
Research Area"22 in June 2001, proposing a number of actions to be launched.

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Article 19(1) of the EC Treaty gives all citizens of the Union residing in a Member
State of  which they  are  not  a national the  right  to  vote  and  stand  as  a  candidate  in
municipal  elections  in  the  Member  State  in  which  they  reside,  under  the  same
conditions as nationals of that State.

On  19  December  1994  the  Council  adopted  Directive  94/80/EC23  laying  down
detailed arrangements for the exercise of the right to vote and to stand as a candidate
in municipal elections by citizens of the Union residing in a Member State of which
they are not nationals.24

22

23

24

COM(2001) 331 final.
OJ L 368, 31.12.1994, p. 38.
For  an  outline  of 
COM(97) 230 final, point 1.1.

the  content  of 

the  Directive,  see 

the  Second  Report  on  Citizenship,

13

                                                
Directive 94/80/EC has now been transposed in all of the Member States.25

On  examining  the  conformity  of  the  national  implementing  measures,  the
Commission  initiated  infringement  proceedings  for  incorrect  transposal  of  the
Directive.  These  primarily  related  to  the  arrangements  for  registration  on  the
electoral  rolls, but also, for  example,  the insistence on a knowledge of  the  national
language or the inclusion of the nationality of non-national candidates on the ballot
paper.

As a result of amendments introduced by the Member States involved, most of these
procedures  were  dropped.  Four  remain  open,  concerning  Austria,  Portugal,  France
and Greece.26 The case against Greece is the only one to have reached the stage of a
court action.

Article  13  of  the  Directive  requires  the  Commission  to  report  to  the  European
Parliament  and  the  Council  on  the  implementation  of  the  Directive,  including
changes  in  the  electorate  since  its  entry  into  force,  within  a  year  of  municipal
elections being held in all of the Member States on the basis of the Directive. Given
that the last elections took place in France in March 2001, the report in question must
be ready by March 2002.

(cid:22)(cid:17)(cid:21)(cid:17)(cid:21)(cid:17)

(OHFWLRQV(cid:3)WR(cid:3)WKH(cid:3)(XURSHDQ(cid:3)3DUOLDPHQW

The right of citizens of the Union to vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the
European Parliament in their Member State of residence is enshrined in Article 19(2)
of  the  EC  Treaty  and  was  put  into  effect  by  Council  Directive  93/109/EC27  of
6 December 1993 laying down detailed arrangements for the exercise of the right to
vote and stand as a candidate in elections to the European Parliament for citizens of
the Union residing in a Member State of which they are not nationals.

Although  national  measures  to  implement  the  Directive  were  on  the  whole
satisfactory,  infringement  proceedings  had  to  be  instituted  against  certain  Member
States for incorrect transposal.

In only one case was it necessary to pursue the Article 226 procedure up to the stage
of the reasoned opinion. This was the case against the Federal Republic of Germany.
The  Commission  contested  the  requirement  that  citizens  of  the  Union  apply  for
inclusion  on  the  electoral  roll  before  each  election,  whereas  Article  9(4)  of  the
Directive states that Community voters who have been entered on the electoral  roll
will remain on it, under the same conditions as voters who are nationals, until such
time  as  they  request  to  be  removed.  The  infringement  proceedings  were  dropped
following amendment of the German legislation transposing the Directive.

25

26

27

Belgium  was  the  last  Member  State  to  transpose  the  Directive,  doing  so  only  by  the  Law  of
27 January 1999. The Court of Justice  had  already  found  against  Belgium  for  failing  to  transpose  the
Directive (Case C-323/97 [1998] ECR I-4281).
Portugal  and  Austria  have  declared  their  intention  to  amend  their  legislation  as  called  for  by  the
Commission.
OJ L 329, 30.12.1993, p. 34.

14

                                                
Directive 93/109/EC was  applied  for the first time to the elections to the European
Parliament  in  June  1994.28  As  required  by  Article  16  of  Directive  93/109/EC,  the
Commission reported to the European Parliament and the Council on the application
of the Directive to these elections.29

On  18  December  2000  the  Commission  produced  a  Communication  on  the
application  of  the  Directive  to  the  June  1999  elections,30  to  draw  attention  to  the
main problems identified and to publicise and promote the good practices identified
in certain Member States with a view to increasing levels of participation by citizens
of the Union in the political life of the Member State in which they reside.

The  Communication  reported  that  the  turnout  by  citizens  of  the  Union  in  their
Member  State  of  residence  was  low  (9%),  but  higher  than  in  1994  (5.9%).  The
Commission  found  that  turnout  was  increasing  in  all  Member  States  except
Germany. In fact it is the very low rate of voter registration in the two countries that
are  home  to  the  largest  number  of  nationals  of  other  Member  States  (France  and
Germany)31 that brings down the Union average, which would be 17.3% if these two
countries were not included.

The Communication focuses on two points: how citizens of  the  Union who are  not
nationals of the Member State of residence can be informed about their right to vote
and stand as a candidate and how to exercise it, and how the system of exchanging
information to prevent people from voting twice can be made effective.

On  the  matter  of  information  for  citizens  of  the  Union,  the  Commission  urges  all
Member  States  that  have  not  yet  done  so  to  introduce  a  system  of  direct,  personal
contact  by  post  with  all  Community  electors  residing  in  their  territory.32  Member
States should as far as possible encourage voters to put their names on the electoral
roll by returning the registration form by post.

The Commission believes that other avenues should be explored, such as providing
Community nationals with voter registration forms whenever they have any contact
with  the  local  or  national  authorities.  Efforts  should  now  be  concentrated  on
encouraging and facilitating registration on the electoral roll of the Member State of
residence, as much as on providing information about the right to vote and stand as a
candidate.  Encouraging  participation  should  be  a  continuing  process,  whereas  the
traditional information campaigns were conducted only in the run-up to the elections.

With regard to the information exchange system, the Commission found that it once
again proved unsatisfactory. This was the result of two different types of factor: the
failure  of  certain  Member  States  to  comply  with  the  arrangements  put  in  place  for
exchanging information and the provisions of certain electoral laws  in  the  Member
States, particularly the different deadlines for finalising the electoral registers.

28

29

30

31

32

In Sweden the first elections to the European Parliament took place on 17 December 1995, in Austria
on 13 October 1996 and in Finland on 20 October 1996.
COM(97) 731 final.
COM(2000) 843 final.
France and Germany are home to 63% of EU citizens residing in a Member State other than their own.
The turnout was 4.9% in France and 2.1% in Germany.
At the elections in June 1999, the average turnout in the countries that had used this type of information
system rose to 23.5%.

15

                                                
The  Commission,  in  conjunction  with  the  competent  authorities  of  the  Member
States,  will  continue  its  efforts  to  improve  the  practical  operation  of  the  exchange
system within the current legislative framework.

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Article 20 of the EC Treaty establishes the right to protection by the diplomatic and
consular authorities of any Member State, on the same conditions as the nationals of
that  State,  in  the  territory  of  a  third  country  where  the  Member  State  of  which  the
citizen  is  a  national  is  not  represented.  It  also  states  that  the  Member  States  are  to
establish  the  necessary  rules  among  themselves  and  start  the  international
negotiations required.

The Second Report on Citizenship of the Union noted that the representatives of the
governments  of  the  Member  States,  meeting  within  the  Council,  had  adopted  three
decisions, the first on the protection of citizens of the European Union by diplomatic
and consular representations,33 the second on the practical arrangements to be made
by  consular  officials34  and  the  third  on  the  rules  for  issuing  emergency  travel
documents.35

These decisions will not take effect until all of the Member States have incorporated
them in their national legal order, which is not yet the case.

In practice, however, all of the Member States have taken steps to ensure that their
diplomatic and consular representations afford appropriate protection and assistance
to citizens of the Union who have no representation in a third country in the event of
death, accident or severe illness, arrest or detention, or if they are victims of violence
or have to be repatriated or otherwise require help.

33

34

35

Decision 95/553/EC, OJ L 314, 28.12.1995, p. 73.
Not published in the Official Journal.
Decision 96/409/CFSP, OJ L 168, 6.7.1996, p. 4.

16

                                                
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Article  21  of  the  EC  Treaty  states  that  every  citizen  of  the  Union  has  the  right  to
petition the European Parliament in accordance with Article 194. The citizens are the
main beneficiaries of this right, although the right is extended by Article 194  to all
natural or legal persons residing or having their registered office in a Member State.
The  subject  of  the  petitions  must  fall  within  the  Community’s  field  of  activity  and
must  affect  the  petitioner directly. Despite  the  fact  that the Committee  on  Petitions
follows  a  broad  interpretation  when  it  decides  whether  a  petition  is  admissible,  a
large number of the petitions are declared inadmissible.

The  petition  is  an  important  opportunity  for  individuals  to  have  their  concerns
formally  examined  by  the  Community’s  institutions.  Petitioners  can  also  draw
attention to the great number of cases where Community law is ignored by different
authorities in the Member States or demonstrate weaknesses in areas of Community
legislation or the need for revision.

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A  steady  flow  of  petitions  reached  Parliament  in  the  period  1997-2000.  In  the
1997-1998  Parliamentary  year  the  European  Parliament  received  1311  petitions,  in
1998-1999 1005 petitions and in 1999-2000 958 petitions. The declining trend in the
number of petitions (noted in the Second Report) is continuing, with the exception of
1997-1998, when the number of petitions showed an increase on the previous year.

36

37

Article 46 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the Union, OJ C 364, 18.12.2000, p. 1.
Source:  Reports  on  the  deliberations  of  the  Committee  on  Petitions  during  the  Parliamentary  years
1996-1997  (Document  A4-0190/97),  1997-1998  (Document  A4-0250/98),  1998-1999  (Document
A4-0117/99).  The 
the  European  Parliament’s  website
reports 
(http://www.europarl.eu.int/committees/peti_home.htm).

found 

can 

on 

be 

17

                                                
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LQFUHDVH(cid:18)GHFUHDVH

1990-1991

1991-1992

1992-1993

1993-1994

1994-1995

1995-1996

1996-1997

1997-1998

1998-1999

1999-2000

785

684

900

1083

1352

1169

1107

1312

1005

958

-12%

+30%

+20%

+25%

-14%

-5%

+18%

-24%

-5%

During the three Parliamentary years concerned, the Committee on Petitions declared
1767 petitions admissible, out of a total of 3275 (54%). Some of the petitions were
transmitted  to  the  European  Ombudsman  and  some  petitioners  referred  to  another
competent body, independent of the European Community.

The  high  proportion  of  petitions  declared  inadmissible  is  the  result  of  a  lack  of
information  about  the  powers  of  the  Union  and  each  of  its  institutions.  As  the
Committee on Petitions notes in its report on the Parliamentary year 1999/2000,38 D
QXPEHU(cid:3)RI(cid:3)SHWLWLRQV(cid:3)FRPH(cid:3)WR(cid:3)XV(cid:3)EHFDXVH(cid:3)SHRSOH(cid:3)DUH(cid:3)QRW(cid:3)FOHDU(cid:3)DV(cid:3)WR(cid:3)ZKDW(cid:3)ULJKWV(cid:3)WKH\
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A total of 920 petitions from the three Parliamentary years concerned citizens’ rights,
in  the  field  of  social  affairs,  freedom  of  movement,  taxation  and  recognition  of
diplomas in the Member State of residence. The large number of petitions relating to
citizens’  rights  shows  that  citizens  frequently  experience  problems  when  they  are
residing in another Member State.

38

Document A5-0162/2000, p. 10.

18

                                                
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The  second  paragraph  of  Article  21  stipulates  that  every  citizen  of  the  Union  may
apply to the Ombudsman. The framework for the Ombudsman’s action is laid down
in Article 195. Every legal resident, whether a natural or a legal person, has the right
to apply to the Ombudsman. The task of  the  Ombudsman  is to  investigate cases of
alleged  maladministration39  by  the  Community  institutions  and  bodies.  The
Ombudsman  cannot  investigate acts of national authorities  or  of  other  international
organisations.

The  Union’s  first  Ombudsman,  Mr  Jacob  Söderman,  took  office  at  the  end  of
December 1995 and has produced annual reports40 since then containing information
about  the  complaints  he  has  received,  the  rules  governing  the  admissibility  of
complaints and the subsequent procedure.

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During 1997 the Ombudsman received 1181 complaints, 1067 of  them from  Union
citizens. Only 200 of the complaints led to an inquiry by the Ombudsman.41 In 1998
the  Ombudsman  received  1372  complaints,  of  which  1237  were  from  citizens.
170 led  to  an  inquiry.  The  figures  for  1999  show  1577  complaints  (1458  from
citizens)  and  201  inquiries.  No  maladministration  was  found  in  59  cases  in  1997,
96 cases in 1998 and 107 cases in 1999.

The main institutions subject to inquiries in the period 1997-1999 were the European
Commission, the European Parliament and the Council. In this respect there is little
difference between the statistics for this period and those from previous years.

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Commission

Parliament

Council

Others

163

24

7

17

77%

12%

3%

8%

129

75%

163

80%

27

16%

7

9

4%

5%

18

14

8

9%

7%

4%

39

40

41

The  Ombudsman  gave  the  following  definition  of  the  term  "maladministation"  in  his  Annual  Report
1997: "Maladministration occurs when a public body fails to act in accordance with a rule or principle
which  is  binding  upon  it".  Following  a  proposal  by  the  Committee  on  Petitions  (A4-0258/98),
Parliament adopted a Resolution welcoming this definition.
All  the  reports  are  available  on  the  European  Ombudsman’s  Internet  site  at  the  following  address:
http://www.europarl.eu.int/ombudsman/report/en/default.htm.
Each year the Ombudsman deals with complaints that are outstanding from the previous year and those
into  which  he  has  initiated  inquiries.  The  annual  figure  for  inquiries  may  therefore  include  these  two
groups, not just complaints from the year in question.

19

                                                
The main type of alleged maladministration in the period 1997-1999 was the lack of
or  refusal  of  information  or  transparency.42  The  second  most  common  type  was
avoidable delay (1997 and 1999) and negligence (1998). Other very common types
of  alleged  maladministration  were  discrimination,  unfairness,  abuse  of  power  and
procedures, failure to respect the rights of defence.

The statistics from the Ombudsman show that the number of citizens complaining to
the Ombudsman has increased every year since 1996. The percentage of complaints
within the mandate of the Ombudsman has not increased in the same way, although
they  seem  to  be  slowly  rising.  The  annual  reports  for  1997-1999  have  all  shown  a
very high percentage of inadmissible complaints: 73 % in 1997 and 1999 and 69 %
in  1998.  The  Ombudsman  tries  to  help  citizens  in  these  cases  by  advising  them  to
address  the  right  institution,  for  example  the  European  Parliament,  or  a  local  or
national  ombudsman.  In  a  few  cases  every  year,  the  Ombudsman  transfers  the
complaint to another institution, with the complainant’s consent.

(cid:23)(cid:17)

)81’$0(17$/(cid:3)5,*+76

Landmarks during the period covered by this report included the proclamation of the
Charter  of  Fundamental  Rights  of  the  Union,  the  adoption  of  legal  instruments
implementing  Article  13  of  the  EC  Treaty  and  measures  taken  as  part  of  the
European Year Against Racism (1997).

(cid:23)(cid:17)(cid:20)(cid:17)

7KH(cid:3)&KDUWHU(cid:3)RI(cid:3))XQGDPHQWDO(cid:3)5LJKWV(cid:3)RI(cid:3)WKH(cid:3)8QLRQ

The  Charter  of  Fundamental  Rights  of  the  Union  was  proclaimed  jointly  by  the
President of the European Parliament, the President of the Council and the President
of  the  Commission  in  a  ceremony  at  the  time  of  the  Nice  European  Council  on
7 December  2000.  It  was  published  in  the  Official  Journal  of  the  European
Communities.43

The proclamation was the result of the decision by the Cologne European Council on
3 and 4 June 1999, in which the Heads of State and Government agreed on the need,
DW(cid:3) WKH(cid:3) SUHVHQW(cid:3) VWDJH(cid:3) RI(cid:3) WKH(cid:3) 8QLRQ(cid:10)V(cid:3) GHYHORSPHQW(cid:15)(cid:3) WR(cid:3) HVWDEOLVK(cid:3) D(cid:3) &KDUWHU(cid:3) RI
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YLVLEOH(cid:3)WR(cid:3)WKH(cid:3)8QLRQ(cid:10)V(cid:3)FLWL]HQV.(cid:23)(cid:23)

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7KH(cid:3)FRQYHQWLRQ(cid:3)PHWKRG(cid:29)

For drafting the Charter, the European Council decided to convene an DG(cid:3)KRF body
consisting  of  representatives  of  the  European  Parliament,  national  parliaments,
national governments and the Commission. The idea was first suggested in Cologne,
and  the  precise  nature  of  the  assembly  was  decided  at  the  European  Council  in
Tampere  on  15  and  16  October  1999.  The  body,  which  came  to  be  known  as  the
"Convention", contained 62 members  from  four  categories: sixteen  members of  the

42

43

44

23 % in 1999, 30 % in 1998 and 25% in 1997.
OJ C 364, 18 December 2000, p 1.
Cologne European Council, Presidency Conclusions, Annex IV.

20

                                                
European Parliament, thirty members of national parliaments, fifteen representatives
of the heads of state and government and one Commission representative.

Observers from the Court of Justice of the European Communities and the Council of
Europe  -  one  of  whom  was  from  the  European  Court  of  Human  Rights  -  also
participated  in  the  deliberations.  The  Economic  and  Social  Committee,  the
Committee of the Regions and the Ombudsman were invited to contribute opinions.

The  Convention  also  heard  representations  from  the  countries  applying  for  EU
membership.

The Convention’s working methods were outlined in the conclusions to the European
Council  in  Tampere.  One  striking  feature  of  these  working  methods  was  the
transparency  of  the  proceedings.  The  Tampere  European  Council  established  the
principle  that  the  hearings  held  by  the  body  and  the  documents  presented  in  the
course  of  these  hearings  would  be  made  public.  This  was  done  by  opening  an
Internet site45 where all of the documents relating to the framing of the Charter were
made  freely  available  to  the  public.  This  openness  allowed  intensive  consultations
with representatives of civil society.

The  body  held  its  first  meeting  in  Brussels  on  17  December  1999.  It  elected  as  its
Chairperson  Mr  Roman  Herzog,  former  President  of  the  Federal  Republic  of
Germany.  On  2  October  2000  the  Chairperson  was  able  to  conclude  that  a  broad
consensus  existed  on  the  draft  Charter  and  forwarded  it  to  the  President  of  the
European Council. At their informal meeting in Biarritz, on 13 and 14 October 2000,
the Heads of State and Government reached unanimous agreement on this draft.

For  its  part,  the  Commission  declared  its  support  for  the  draft  Charter  in  two
Communications,  published  on  13  September  and  11  October  2000,46  the  first  of
which made a few suggestions as to the formulation of certain rights included in the
draft, while the second considered the legal nature of these rights.

(cid:23)(cid:17)(cid:20)(cid:17)(cid:21)(cid:17)

7KH(cid:3)FRQWHQW(cid:3)RI(cid:3)WKH(cid:3)&KDUWHU(cid:29)

The  Charter  brings  together  in  a  single  text  all  personal  rights:  civil  and  political
rights, economic and social rights and rights of citizens of the European Union. This
makes  it  the  first  instrument  of  fundamental  rights  at  international  level  which
properly reflects their indivisibility.

These rights are already well established by various means, such as the constitutional
traditions and international obligations common to the Member States, the Treaty on
European  Union  and  the  Community  Treaties,  the  European  Convention  for  the
Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the Social Charters adopted
by  the  Community  and  the  Council  of  Europe  and  the  case  law  of  the  Court  of
Justice of the European Communities and the European Court of Human Rights.

45

46

http://db.consilium.eu.int/df.
COM(2000)559 final and COM(2000) 644 final.

21

                                                
The Charter consists of 54 Articles, preceded by a preamble. Apart from the general
provisions at the end of the text (Articles 51 to 54), the Articles are grouped around
six fundamental values: dignity (Articles 1 to 5), freedoms (Articles 6 to 19), equality
(Articles 20 to 26), solidarity (Articles 27 to 38), citizens’ rights (Articles 39 to 46)
and justice (Articles 47 to 50).

For the purposes  of  this  report,  the  Commission  would  draw  particular  attention  to
the rights taken from the Treaty establishing the European Community and grouped
under  Chapter  V  on  citizens’  rights:  the  right  to  vote  and  stand  as  a  candidate  at
elections  to  the  European  Parliament  (Article  39);  the  right  to  vote  and  stand  as  a
candidate  at  municipal  elections  (Article  40);  the  right  of  access  to  documents
(Article  42);  the  right  to  refer  matters  to  the  Ombudsman  (Article  43);  the  right  to
petition the  European Parliament (Article  44);  freedom of movement and residence
(Article  45);  diplomatic  and  consular  protection  (Article  46).  In  recognition  of  the
ever increasing importance of fair administrative procedures in safeguarding personal
rights  and  interests,  Chapter  V  of  the  Charter  also  includes  the  right  to  good
administration (Article 41). This right draws on the principles laid down in this area
by a considerable body of Court of Justice case law.

The Charter states that  the rights it recognises, which  are  based  on  the Community
Treaties or the Treaty on European Union, are to be exercised under the conditions
and within the limits defined by those Treaties (Article 52(2)). Similarly, the  rights
which  correspond  to  rights  guaranteed  by  the  European  Convention  for  the
Protection  of  Human  Rights  will  have  the  same  meaning  and  scope  as  those  laid
down by the Convention, although European Union law, including the Charter itself,
may provide more extensive protection (Article 52(3)).

(cid:23)(cid:17)(cid:20)(cid:17)(cid:22)(cid:17)

)XWXUH(cid:3)GHYHORSPHQWV(cid:3)ZLWK(cid:3)UHJDUG(cid:3)WR(cid:3)WKH(cid:3)&KDUWHU(cid:29)

The  Nice  European  Council  called  for  the  Charter  to  be  disseminated  as  widely  as
possible among EU citizens, as a way of making fundamental rights more visible and
as a precondition for a proper public debate on Europe.

The  declaration  on  the  future  of  the  Union,  annexed  to  the  Nice  Treaty,  lists  the
status of the Charter  as one of the points for  extensive public  debate  to prepare for
the  Intergovernmental  Conference  planned  for  2004.  In  this  context,  and  in
accordance  with  the  conclusions of the  Cologne  European  Council,  the  question  of
the Charter’s force will now have to be considered.47

But even before this work has been completed, it is clear, as the Commission stressed
in its Communication last October, that the Charter will have an impact, not least on
the legal front, by its proclamation alone. The European Parliament, the Council and
the Commission can hardly ignore a text which has been drafted at the request of the
European Council by all of the legitimate authorities at national and European level,
meeting within a single body, and which they themselves have proclaimed.

47

Nice European Council, Presidency Conclusions, point I.2.

22

                                                
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In keeping with its commitment to put forward measures to implement Article 13 of
the  EC  Treaty  as  soon  as  possible,  and  in  response  to  the  wishes  of  the  European
Parliament, the Member States and Heads of State and Government expressed at the
Tampere European Council, the Commission presented a Communication and three
proposals aimed at combating discrimination within the European Union.

On  29  June  2000  the  Council  adopted  Directive  2000/43/EC48  implementing  the
principle of  equal  treatment between persons  irrespective  of  racial  or  ethnic  origin.
This  aims  to  combat  discrimination  in  all  Member  States  on  grounds  of  racial  or
ethnic origin in the areas of employment, education, social security, health care and
access to goods and services.

On  27  November  2000  the  Council  adopted  Directive  2000/78/EC49  establishing  a
general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation. The aim is to
create a general framework for combating discrimination on the grounds of religion
or  belief,  disability,  age  or  sexual  orientation  in  matters  of  employment  and
occupation.

On  the  same  day  the  Council  adopted  Decision  2000/750/EC  establishing  a
Community Action Programme to combat discrimination (2001-2006),50 which has a
total budget of … 98.4 million.

48

49

50

OJ L 180 19.07.2000, p. 22.
OJ L 303 2.12.2000 p. 16.
OJ L 303 2.12.2000, p. 23.

23

                                                
The Programme supports and complements the efforts made at Community level and
in  the  Member  States  to  promote  measures  to  combat  direct  or  indirect
discrimination. Its objectives are as follows:

•  to  improve  understanding  of  the  issues  related  to  discrimination,  by  improving
knowledge  of  the  phenomenon  and  evaluating  the  effectiveness  of  policies  and
practices;

•  to  develop  the  capacity  to  prevent  and  address  discrimination  effectively,  in
particular by strengthening organisations’ means of action and through support for
the  exchange  of  information  and  good  practice  and  for  networking  at  European
level, while taking into account the specific characteristics of the different forms
of discrimination;

•  to promote and disseminate the values and practices underlying the fight  against
discrimination, for example through the use of awareness-raising campaigns.

In order to attain these objectives, the Decision provides for a three-pronged strategy:

–  improving analysis of the nature and impact of discrimination in the Community;

–  supporting  organisations  involved  in  anti-discrimination  and  prevention  by
enabling them to compare and contrast their approaches with experience in other
regions of the Community;

–  heightening  awareness  among  the  main  decision-makers  as  to  the  scope  for

increasing the effectiveness of anti-discriminatory measures and practices.

These  documents  clearly  testify  to  the  Community's  determination  to  promote  a
juster society. They adopt a pragmatic approach by focusing on the main areas where
discrimination is experienced.

(cid:23)(cid:17)(cid:22)(cid:17)

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In  the  context  of  the  protection  of  fundamental  rights  in  general  and  combating
discrimination  in  particular,  it  is  also  interesting  to  note  that  the  Commission  has
established a multiannual Community programme (2000-2003) to fight all forms of
violence  against  children,  young  persons  and  women  (Daphne  Programme).51  This
supplements the Commission's legislative activities with financial support for public
and private organisations in the Union working on the ground to tackle physical and
psychological  violence  and  abuse  (including  sexual  violence).  The  Daphne
programme has already funded approximately 200 projects since 1997, all involving
activities of direct  benefit  to  victims  of  violence.  Two  impact  assessments  of  these
projects were carried out in 1999 and 2000.

51

Decision No 293/2000/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, OJ L 34, 9.2.2000, p. 1.

24

                                                
(cid:23)(cid:17)(cid:23)(cid:17)

0HDVXUHV(cid:3)WR(cid:3)FRPEDW(cid:3)UDFLVP

(cid:20)(cid:28)(cid:28)(cid:26)(cid:15)(cid:3)(XURSHDQ(cid:3)<HDU(cid:3)$JDLQVW(cid:3)5DFLVP

The  European  Year  was  a  landmark  in  the  process  of  intensifying  cooperation  to
combat  racism.  It  succeeded  in  mobilising  individuals  and  organisations  across  the
European  Union. This  mobilisation  in  turn created  a  climate  favourable  to  political
progress.  Important  examples  of  such  progress  include  the  adoption  of  new  anti-
discrimination  provisions  in  the  Treaty  on  European  Union,  the  creation  of  the
Monitoring  Centre  on  Racism  and  Xenophobia  in  Vienna,  the  Action  Plan  against
Racism  and  the  European  network  of  anti-racist  NGOs  (a  direct  result  of  the
European Year and an indication of a serious effort to mobilise forces).

$FWLRQ(cid:3)3ODQ(cid:3)DJDLQVW(cid:3)5DFLVP

The launch by the Commission of an Action Plan against Racism,52 in March 1998,
which  seeks  to  place  the  fight  against  racism  at  the  heart  of  numerous  European
policies, is a direct consequence of the European Year and the progress it achieved.

The  main  emphasis  of  the  Plan  is  on  enhancing  and  supporting  cooperation  and
partnerships  at  every  level,  in  order  to  foster  diversity  and  pluralism,  by
strengthening cooperation with and between the different partners.

(XURSHDQ(cid:3)QHWZRUN(cid:3)RI(cid:3)DQWL(cid:16)UDFLVW(cid:3)RUJDQLVDWLRQV

In  the  course  of  the  preparations  for  the  European  Year,  a  number  of  anti-racist
organisations indicated to the Commission that they would like to set up a European
network of anti-racist organisations.

The  groundwork  for  creating  such  a  structure  was  carried  out  in  1998,  and  some
250 participants,  representing  a  large  number  of  NGOs,  attended  the  conference
launching the network from 8 to 10 October 1998, where they agreed on a European
policy  agenda  and  action  programme  and  the  means  of  implementing  such  a
programme.

The main aim of the network is to give a European dimension  to efforts to  combat
racism,  xenophobia,  anti-Semitism  and  anti-Islamism,  in  order  to  create  a  link
between 
to  compare
experiences,  strengthen  existing  schemes  and  develop  new  strategies  for  tackling
racism and promoting equal rights and opportunities.

initiatives  and  European 

local  or  national 

initiatives, 

The  network  runs  European-wide  campaigns  and  cooperates  with  the  European
institutions  to  maximise  the  impact  of  European  policies  on  tackling  racism.  The
network  also  has  a  crucial  role  to  play  in  the  Community  Action  Programme  to
combat  discrimination  (2001-2006)  and  in  the  implementation  of  the  anti-
discriminatory directives adopted on the basis of Article 13 of the Treaty.

52

COM(1998)183 final, 25 March 1998.

25

                                                
7KH(cid:3)0RQLWRULQJ(cid:3)&HQWUH(cid:3)RQ(cid:3)5DFLVP(cid:3)DQG(cid:3);HQRSKRELD

The role of the Monitoring Centre53 is to provide the  European Community  and its
Member  States  with  objective,  reliable  and  comparable  information  about  racism,
xenophobia  and  anti-Semitism  at  European  level,  to  enable  them  to  take  effective
measures and develop action plans.

According to the Centre’s second report, published in November 2000,54 ethnic/racial
minorities, immigrants and refugees are victims  of  racial  crimes  and discrimination
in all of the Member States. Crimes committed by xenophobic groups are primarily
targeted at immigrants, foreigners and the Jewish community. Discrimination against
Roma minorities was reported in several Member States in 1999.

Most of the discrimination identified in 1999 concerned employment and the labour
market.

Racism on the Internet has become a particular concern in certain Member States, in
that the  Internet  is  widely used by  racist  groups  to  disseminate  racist,  anti-Semitic,
xenophobic and inflammatory ideas to a wide audience with relative impunity.

According to the report, the new European directives based on Article 13 of the EC
Treaty should significantly help to improve the situation.

The  Centre’s  tasks  include  setting  up  and  coordinating  a  European  Racism  and
Xenophobia  Information  Network  (RAXEN),  consisting  of  a  central  unit  which
cooperates  with  institutions  at  national  level,  such  as  university  research  centres,
non-governmental  organisations  and  specialised  bodies.  Its  role  is  to  collect  and
analyse the statistics and information available and create a database accessible to the
public. It will build up the information, knowledge and experience that can serve as a
basis for developing anti-racist strategies in Europe.

(cid:24)(cid:17)

38%/,&(cid:3),1)250$7,21

The Dialogue with Citizens and Business project is the successor to the Citizens First
initiative described in the Second Report on Citizenship of the Union.55

The  Dialogue  with  Citizens  and  Business  has  two  specific  aims:  to  make  people
aware  of  their  rights  within  the  European  Union  and  to  establish  two-way
communications  with  citizens  in  order  to  obtain  feedback  about  the  problems  they
have in exercising their rights.

In  order  to  provide  the  public  with  this  information  in  the  form  of  a  permanent
dialogue, a service called Europe Direct was created.

The  Dialogue  with  Citizens  and  Business  and  Europe  Direct  websites  are  also
available to provide information and advice from many different sources.

53

54

55

The Monitoring Centre was set up by Regulation (EC) No 1035/97. It is based in Vienna.
This report is available at http://www.eumc.at/publications/.
COM(97) 230 final, p. 19.

26

                                                
The  Dialogue  with  Citizens  and  Business  also  provides  public  information  through
publications intended to give a general idea of citizens’ rights and how to assert them.

Responding to requests from the public, the Commission has accordingly updated the
guides published under the Citizens of Europe initiative.

A number of new booklets have also been published. The guide entitled "Enforcing
your  rights  in  the  Single  European  Market",  published  in  2000,  and  the  national
factsheets  accompanying  it,  seek to  provide  citizens  with  the  information  they  lack
on their possibilities for redress if they experience difficulties exercising their rights
at  national  and  Community  level.  "Data  protection  in  the  European  Union",
published in 2001, is a guide to citizens’ rights in relation to the collection and use of
personal data and what to do if these rights are violated.

These  guides  may  be  obtained  free  of  charge  by  contacting  the  Europe  Direct  call
centre.

The Europe Direct call centre offers free telephone helplines in each Member State,
plus  a  direct  response  service  via  e-mail,  letter  or  fax.  It  handles  enquiries  in  all
11 official EU languages on all areas of EU policy.

Europe Direct acts as a first point of contact to help people who do not know how or
where to find the answers to their questions. It exists to complement the information
networks  which  operate  across  the  Member  States,  in  order  to  guide  the  citizens
firstly  towards  basic  information  and  secondly  towards  the  most  appropriate  of  the
very numerous specialised or general information services.

The  call  centre  replies  to  general  questions  on  the  European  Commission  and  the
other  EU  institutions.  The  internal  Europe  Direct  service  takes  care  of  questions
requiring additional research.

Since 1998 Europe Direct has dealt with more than 200 000 requests for information
on  all  matters  related  to  the  activities  of  the  European  Commission  and  the  EU
institutions in general.

Questions  concerning  practical  problems  that  people  encounter  in  exercising  their
rights in the Single Market are transferred to the Citizens Signpost Service, a second
level  service  offering  informal  legal  advice.  This  service,  which  is  now  part  of  the
Dialogue with Citizens and Business programme, uses a team of experts covering all
the languages of the European Union.

A report dated March 2000 by the Signpost Service shows that there are only a few
cases  where  enquirers  raise  problems  that  are  truly  enforcement-related  and  within
the  scope  of  EC  law.  Most  enquiries  tend  to  be  the  result  of  a  lack  of  awareness
about the scope of EC law or confusion as to which institution, EU or national, has
responsibility for solving their problems.

When it comes to defence of their rights, citizens clearly tend to over-estimate what
they can expect from the EC, particularly when they are residing in another Member
State.  Even  in  areas  that  are  obviously  national  responsibilities,  the  European
Institutions  are  often  perceived  to  be  competent  to  intervene  as  a  supranational
authority in the general interest.

27

By  analysing  the  problems  citizens  encounter  the  Commission  can  pinpoint
information  requirements  and  identify  possible  failings  or  deficiencies  in  the
application  of  Community  law.  The  problems  referred  to  the  Signpost  Service  will
also  form  an  integral  part  of  the  more  general  initiative  for  interactive  policy
development, currently being implemented by the Commission.

Finally,  it  is  worth  remembering  that  the  European  Commission  organises
information visits for some 40 000 visitors every year, as part of its efforts to bring
the European institutions closer to the citizens.

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