Your rights, your future

2013 EU Citizenship Report

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2013 EU Citizenship Report

● Timely political context ▪ 20 years of EU citizenship

▪ The European Year of Citizens - the Citizens' Dialogues

▪ Run-up to the European elections in 2014

● Citizens at the centre ▪ Online public consultation (9 May 2012)

Results: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/citizen/files/eu-citizen-brochure_en.pdf

▪ Eurobarometer surveys

▪ European Year events with civil society

▪ Forum with the Committee of the Regions

▪ Hearing with the European Parliament

▪ Citizens' Dialogues:

http://ec.europa.eu/european-debate/index_en.htm

Progress achieved: the Commission delivered

● Reporting on the 25 deliverables of the 2010 Report, for example:

Facilitating the smooth circulation of public documents (such as birth, death or marriage certificates or documents relating to real estate);

Strengthening the rights of around 75 million people who are victims of crime every year in the EU;

Cutting red tape for 3.5 million people registering a car in another EU country each year, leading to savings of at least EUR 1.5 billion per year for businesses, citizens and registration authorities;

Removing obstacles to the effective exercise of electoral rights in European and local elections by the 8 million EU citizens of voting age living in an EU country other than their own; and

Offering citizens user-friendly information on their EU rights through an online one-stop shop information point — Your Europe and Europe Direct.

•● Full table of implementation available on VP Reding's website http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/reding/factsheets/index_en.htm

12 new actions to improve EU citizens' lives

● 6 key areas

1. Removing obstacles for workers, students and trainees in the EU

2. Cutting red tape in the Member States

3. Protecting the more vulnerable in the EU

4. Eliminating barriers to shopping in the EU

5. Targeted and accessible information in the EU

6. Participating in the democratic life of the EU

1 - Removing obstacles for workers, students and trainees

Making it easier for citizens to find a job and boost the EU economy

▪ Action 1: Revising the social security coordination regulation, in particular looking into extending the export of unemployment benefits for longer than the mandatory three months.

Facilitating young people's transition from study to work and developing their skills

▪ Action 2: Developing a quality framework for traineeships, modernising EURES, and launching a pilot initiative to improve exchange of information about traineeship and apprenticeship opportunities in other EU countries.

Young people's willingness to work in another

EU country (Youth on the Move Eurobarometer

2011)

2 - Cutting red tape in the Member States

Removing administrative hurdles and simplifying procedures for citizens living and travelling in the EU

▪Action 3: Proposing solutions to remove obstacles linked to identity and residence documents.

▪Action 4: Taking initiatives to promote best tax practice and ensure correct application of EU tax law.

▪Action 5: Taking steps to establish a vehicle information platform to facilitate the recognition of roadworthiness certificates.

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3 – Protecting the more vulnerable in the EU

Lifting obstacles for citizens with disabilities (80 million people with disabilities in the EU)

▪Action 6: Developing an EU disability card that is mutually recognised across the EU.

Further strengthening procedural rights in particular for children and vulnerable citizens

(In the public consultation on EU citizenship, 73% of respondents supported the idea of giving children and vulnerable adults safeguards to ensure a fair trial that must apply in any EU country)

▪Action 7: Strengthening citizens' procedural rights in criminal proceedings (legal aid, presumption of innocence), taking into account the specific situation of children and vulnerable citizens.

4 – Eliminating barriers to shopping in the EU

▪ Action 8: Revising the European Small Claims Procedure to facilitate the settling of disputes regarding purchases in another EU country ( proposing to raise the current EUR

2 000 threshold to EUR 25 000)

▪ Action 9: Developing a model for the online display of key requirements to make the information on digital products clearer and easy to compare. Launching, in spring 2014, an awareness raising campaign on consumer rights.

5 – Targeted and accessible information in the EU

▪ Action 10: Ensuring that local administrations are given the tools to fully comprehend the free movement rights of EU citizens (via an e-training tool and the town twinning scheme).

▪ Action 11: Providing user-friendly guidance on its central Europa website.

Source: 2012 Public consultation on EU citizenship - Base: Respondents who faced problems while moving or residing in another EU country

6 - Participating in the democratic life of the EU

▪Action 12:

-- issuing a handbook on EU rights;

-- propose constructive ways to enable EU citizens living in another EU country to fully participate in the democratic life of the EU by maintaining their right to vote in national elections in their country of origin;

-- developing the European public space.

Source: 2012 Public consultation on EU citizenship - Base: All respondents

Source: 2013 Eurobarometer on electoral rights

The Debate on the Future of Europe Reaching out across the EU

Confirmed Citizens' Dialogue

Citizens' Dialogue in planning

Virtual event Winter 2014