LIST OF CITIZENS’ RIGHTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Abstract

Problem setting. Article is devoted to the analysis of legal nature and the list of rights based on citizenship of the
European Union due to the founded treaties, acts of institutions of the European Union and relevant case-law of the Court
of Justice. The author also proposes several types of legal classification of these rights which is necessary for better
comprehension of the nature of the EU citizenship on the modern stage. General characteristics of the scope of several
rights are provided as well. The topic is important in the context of the European integration of Ukraine as the future
membership in the European Union will influence on the legal status of the citizens of our state.
Target of research. The purpose of this study is the legal investigation of the list of rights based on citizenship of
the European Union.
Analysis of resent researches and publications. The following scientists were engaged in researching of the following
issue: Kushkin S. U., Muraviov V. I., Svyatun O. V., Tragniuk O. Y., Yakoviuk I. V., Yankovskyi S. A. and others.
Article’s main part. Formally established in 1992 citizenship of the European Union is a relatively new legal attribute.
A scope of citizenship is also difficult to define as the EU is not a state. Union citizenship is therefore a different concept
from the commonly understood as devolving from the state, and must be understood in such a context. For better
comprehension of the nature of the EU citizenship on the modern stage is necessary to provide legal classification of the
list of these rights. It is possible to divide these rights (1) due to the subjects which are entitled to enjoy them: exclusive
rights of the EU citizens, rights of the EU citizens which in some circumstances shall be realized by other groups of
individuals, general rights which shall be realized both by the EU citizens and other individuals; (2) due to the subject
matter – political rights connected with the power of the EU and possibility to influence on it and other non-political
rights; (3) due to the level of realization – rights which shall be realized on domestic level of member states, level of the
member states, EU level and international level; (4) due to the mode of realization – individual and collective rights.
Conclusions and prospects for further development. Legal investigation of the list of EU citizens’ rights makes
possible to state, that modern scope of the EU citizenship is more than just a formal fixation of the unity of the European
nations. It provides several rights which are necessary to be given due to the general European level. This list is narrower
than that of traditional state citizenship as it is a compromise between all member states protecting different vectors in
the process of the European integration.