Conclusion. In many of the areas in this report, the lack of EU legislation is not the main reason why citizens are facing obstacles in the exercise of their rightsIn many of the areas in this report, the lack of EU legislation is not the main reason why citizens are facing obstacles in the exercise of their rights. In some instances, the existing rules need to be expanded or updated or even radically overhauled to keep with evolving socio-economic or technological realities. The majority of actions identified to dismantle obstacles fall into three main categories: effectively enforcing EU rights, making their enjoyment easier in practice, and raising awareness about them. The first category aims at guaranteeing that citizens’ rights are fully enforced on the ground by the Member States. Such actions are particularly relevant in areas where EU law takes predominantly the form of Directives, which – in contrast to Regulations – need to be transposed into national laws or administrative provisions in the legal system of each Member State. The second category aims at easing citizens’ daily life by making the exercise of individual rights simpler, eliminating unnecessary complications: finding solutions in individual casesand reducing costs and administrative burdens generated by national procedures and practices. The third category aims at raising citizens’ awareness about their rights, so that they can make better use of their opportunities. At the same time, national administrations, judges and legal professionals should also be aware of these rights so they can help citizens. The measures identified include the one-stop-shop point for information and advice and information campaigns. There are approximately 500 million citizens in the European Union’s 27 Member States. This Commission's political objective is that EU citizenship progresses to become a tangible reality in their daily lives.
Questions for delegates to consider: 1. Should the rights of EU citizens be enhanced or not? Why? Why not? How? 2. How can the EU raise the direct involvement of its citizens in building more political union? 3. What concrete steps can provide EU to fully implement the EU citizens’ rights? 4. Can the current Euro zone crisis affect on the EU citizenship context? 5. How could the awareness of the meaning of EU citizenship be raised? 6. How can the EU overcome the tiresome administrative procedures?
6. Useful links: 1. The European Parliament’s report on 2. FOR CITIZENS PROGRAMME 2007-2013. PROGRAMME GUIDE http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/pdf/programme_guide_en.pdf 3. Survey on results of „Europe for Citizens program 2007-2013“ http://ec.europa.eu/citizenship/pdf/efc_survey_2012_report_final_february_en.pdf 4. EU Citizenship Report 2010
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