Abstract
According to the European Commission, "citizenship of the Union is both a source of legitimation of the process of European integration, by reinforcing the participation of citizens, and a fundamental factor in the creation among citizens of a sense of belonging to the European Union and of having a genuine European identity". Pre-defined in the treaty of Rome in the form of the freedom of circulation of the miners, European citizenship is today reflected in the Maastricht through a number of freedoms furthered by the Amsterdam, such as freedom of circulation, right of residency in any member state, the protection of the EU by any member state embassy, the right of election and eligibility under certain conditions, right of petition before the EP or yet the possibility to write to the institutions and get an answer in one of the twelve official languages.
