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THE LISBON TREATY AND CITIZENSHIP IN EUROPE
8 April 2013, European Documentation Centre
A panel discussion entitled
‘The Lisbon Treaty and
Citizenship in Europe’ was
held on 8th April at the
European Documentation
Centre, housed at the
Institute for European
Studies at the University of
Malta. The event was
organised in collaboration
with
the
European
Commission
Representation, Malta. The
panel was composed of
Mr Martin Bugelli (Head of European Commission Representation Malta), Professor
Roderick Pace (Director of the Institute and Jean Monnet Chair), Dr Mark Harwood
(Senior Lecturer in European Studies) and Dr Marcello Carammia (Lecturer in European
Studies).
Following a brief introduction by Mr Bugelli on the main theme, the European Year of
Citizens 2013, the discussion turned to the rights which come with EU citizenship. Mr
Bugelli commented that it is not sufficient to speak about citizenship, but also about
citizens, and that in this regard it is important to give information to citizens about the
EU. Citizens have to be informed, each at their own level of knowledge and
understanding, about the rights and obligations which come with EU citizenship. Mr
Bugelli stressed that there would be little use in having such rights if citizens were not
adequately informed of them. It is precisely because of this that the Commission is
dedicating this year to EU citizens.
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Email: edc@um.edu.mt
Professor Pace spoke on
the topic of ‘More
Powers to the European
Parliament
and
European Citizenship’.
He
illustrated
the
privileges which come
with EU citizenship,
including both tangible
and intangible benefits.
Amongst
these,
Professor
Pace
mentioned the single
market and EU-wide
food safety regulations
as examples. He said
that, as EU citizens, people stand to benefit more than they would as citizens of their
individual nation state. Professor Pace also discussed the current economic crisis and
how this is causing many to associate the EU and EU citizenship with the negative
developments. However, he also noted that opinion polls show that a majority of
persons still believe that the EU is more adept at dealing with the crisis than the
individual member states. Professor Pace expressed his view that the European Year of
Citizens could be important in giving citizens renewed hope in the EU.
Turning to the role of the European Parliament in the crisis, Professor Pace said that
although the Lisbon Treaty has given the Parliament significant power, it still does not
play a major role in the economic crisis, and is rather marginalised. He expressed the
opinion that the European Parliament’s marginal role in the crisis would not help
increase voter turnout at next year’s European elections. Professor Pace concluded by
saying that the European Year of Citizens should be an occasion to provide EU citizens
with an opportunity for greater involvement in the issues related to the economic crisis.
EUROPEAN DOCUMENTATION CENTRE
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Tel: (356) 2340 3386
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Email: edc@um.edu.mt
Dr Harwood subsequently delivered a talk entitled ‘The Committee on a People’s Europe
and the Politics behind EU Citizenship’. Dr Harwood said that the Committee, also
known as the Adonnino Committee, was set up 30 years ago to find ways of creating a
greater link between citizens of the EU’s member states and the EU’s political
institutions with the intention of creating a People’s Europe as opposed to a
technocratic Europe. Referencing the Eurobarometer report of EU Citizenship for 2012,
Dr Harwood argued that while 60% of EU citizens identified with being European,
statistics still showed a close association with national identity, while less than 50% of
European identified themselves with being attached to the EU, which could indicate that
attempts to create a People’s Europe had under performed. The Committee had
brought forward many practical recommendations on how to create a greater link
between the EU and its citizens, with the purpose of establishing an EU identity.
Amongst these were an EU anthem and an EU flag, together with more practical goals
such as the four freedoms and recognition of qualifications gained across the Union.
Despite this, polls have shown that the ‘cultural’ dimensions of the Committee’s
recommendations, in particular the EU flag and anthem, appear low on the list of factors
which EU citizens associate
with citizenship and have
taken second place in
importance
to
more
concrete aspects of the
EU,
such
as
free
movement and the single
currency,. The problem
such aspects of identity
pose centres on the fact
that many of these key
components
of
EU
identity, especially the
single currency, are now in
jeopardy because of the
economic crisis. .
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Dr Harwood opinionated that there seemed little interest in using the conventional
symbols of citizenship which apply to member states (such as having a flag and national
anthem) when referencing the EU, but that the focus should be on consolidating the
more important, practical benefits of membership, such as a free and prosperous
internal market.
Dr Carammia delivered the final talk of the discussion, entitled ‘The EU governance after
the Lisbon Treaty: institutional complexity and democratic legitimacy’. Dr Carammia said
that the Convention on the Future of Europe, which eventually led to the Lisbon Treaty,
had amongst its aims that of addressing EU’s institutional complexity. After having
illustrated the symbolic and substantive failures of the project of an EU Constitution, Dr
Carammia argued however that if such a democratic deficit exists it does not lie in EU’s
complex institutions and cumbersome decision-making procedures. He summarised the
main positions in the academic literature – pointing out how different views about the
EU’s democratic deficit are related to different understandings of what the EU is and
should be – and joined the positions of those who argue that the lack of an opposition
within the EU would inevitably attract opposition toward the EU. The conclusion of his
talk was that the EU is departing from the model of a ‘regulatory state’ concerned with
the efficient regulation of economic activities, and is increasingly dealing with
redistributive policies. Redistribution, in turn, raises political conflict, and if such conflict
is not made the object of contestation within EU institutions it can only attract
discontent toward the EU as a whole – and against the very project of EU integration. In
his view, a politically legitimised EU government, one that is also opposed by a minority
competing on the basis of an
alternative
programme
of
government, would be an effective
way to depoliticise EU integration
(what the EU is) while focusing
political conflict on EU activities
(what the EU does).
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Tel: (356) 2340 3386
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Email: edc@um.edu.mt
Following Dr Carammia’s talk, the audience engaged in a discussion with the panel.
Several questions were addressed to the panel discussants, resulting in a lively debate
on EU citizenship.
At the end of the discussion, on behalf of the European Commission Representation in
Malta, Mr Bugelli presented a number of academic books to Professor Pace, which are
to be kept at the European Documentation Centre.