Work, Production, Free Movement and Then What? Conceptions of Citizenship in European Integration, 1951-71

Abstract

In this paper, the aim is to shed further light on issues of citizenship in the period between 1951 and 1971, often called the founding period of European integration. The contribution of the paper to the literature is two-fold. First, in theoretical terms it contributes by studying citizenship as a status of individuals in relation to a political unit differentiated analytically into four dimensions: Membership, identity, rights and participation. This amounts to a more dynamic approach than previous studies as it focuses on the interplay between dimensions rather than solely on rights or identity. Second, connecting these dimensions to the empirical, it contributes by highlighting those treaties, legislative measures and practices that are linked to the emergence, consolidation and/or change to the status of individuals within the system. The analysis finds that that we can fruitfully talk about a kind of citizenship in the first period of European integration. It must, however, not be overstated as anything resembling a full-blown citizenship status akin to national citizenship. European citizenship should rather be understood in its own right, as a citizenship gradually emerging from the founding treaties, judicial activism of the ECJ and free movement legislation.