| Associate
Members’ Conference
THE
FUTURE OF EUROPE: ENLARGEMENT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS
Towards a Quaker view of Good Governance
Friday 18 – Sunday 20 October 2002
Report
of working group 4:
Supporting
the Citizen: rights, responsibilities and social policy.
Responsibilities
of EU Citizens
It
was generally acknowledged that the obligations of citizens vis-a-vis
the European Union did not differ in principle from national citizenship
duties, but should be seen in the light of the different European
Union institutions and framework of European Union law. Several
members of the group expressed concern that they did not have enough
information about the working of the Union either to meet their
obligations or to exercise their rights. There was a real need for
accessible information, in the sense of being readily understood
and available in the areas where people lived.
1
Better EU Documentation
One
member of the group, Rosalind Johnson, who was a member of a European
library network, pointed out that only a few major libraries and
large academic institutions were European Documentation centres.
Very few libraries receive regularly up-dated EU material. It would
be helpful in the Commission extended the scope of its distribution,
to enable people who wanted to keep up on current issues to be properly
informed.
2
A European Newspaper?
The
press was seen as generally uninformative, usually hostile and sometimes
just plain wrong in its reporting of European affairs. The European
had been of some help, but after its demise there was only the European
Voice, which is quite expensive, although it is quite gossipy and
readable. It would be useful to have a cheap, readable and informative
newspaper. This would be a more positive way of directing the EU’s
public information budget.
3
A European dimension to citizenship teaching
Most
members of the group agreed that there should be a European Citizenship
element in the new citizenship section of the National Curriculum
which was being launched at the start of this school year.
Rights
of EU Citizens and Non-EU Nationals
1
Religious freedom
There
was a lot of discussion about the nature and scope of the right
of religious freedom contained in the European Convention on Human
Rights, now recognised as part of the law of the European. While
the culture of Western Europe was predominantly Christian, modified
by the enlightenment of the eighteenth century, the outlook of those
coming from non-EU states to work and live in the Union was, from
a social and religious point of view, often very different to that
of the people originating in the host States. There was most conflict
in relation to the education and disciplining of children, in relation
to arrangements made for marriage and the treatment of animals in
rites of slaughter. Most members of the group felt that religious
differences should be acknowledged and respected by the host communities
and given the greatest latitude possible, provided that this was
done within the confines of the law.
2
A Right to EU Citizenship for Non-EU Nationals?
Anita
Wuyts [QCEA Programme Associate] talked of the difficulties encountered
by third state nationals in exercising their rights and the frequent
racism that they encountered. One way of increasing both their mobility
and their security, and of giving them proper status in the EU and
in the Member States where they were resident, would be to give
them an entitlement to EU Citizenship after five years lawful residence.
This idea was generally accepted in the group, although there was
some concern that the proposal might have some adverse political
impact if it was likely to result in a large movement of former
third state nationals to another EU states. It was acknowledged
that this was unlikely, since nationality would only be granted
to those settled in one EU state, and if they were settled they
would, in all probability, be likely to stay put!
3
Raising the profile of existing citizenship rights
Many
states did not always implement, or implement effectively, the laws
of the Union conferring social, employment and other rights on its
citizens. Some members of the group felt that, while it was primarily
the duty of the Member States to implement and enforce European
Union law, individuals could not do so if there was no effective
legal system or system of legal aid in the States concerned. In
these circumstances, some intervention by the Commission, perhaps
by the provision of advice and support within the Member States,
might be appropriate. People would have a much more positive view
of the Union if they saw its institutions supporting them directly
and helping them to enjoy the rights which the Union had conferred
on them.
Rapporteur:
Chris Vincenzi
Conference
materials also available:
Conference
Report and Conclusions
Keynote
speech by Michael Lake
Reports
of working groups:
Democratic
and spiritual values: the governance of an enlarged Europe
External
relations: focus on development and trade
Foreign
and security policy: focus on conflict prevention and US / Europe
relations
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