In adopting the report by Mr Willy DE CLERCQ (ELDR, B) on citizenship of the Union, the
European Parliament called on the Member States to initiate without delay the preparatory work
to integrate the Schengen acquis into the framework of the European Union. It pointed out that
the free movement of Union citizens within the territory of the Union could be guaranteed only
by abolishing all controls at internal borders, and therefore called on the Commission to submit,
as soon as possible, a legislative proposal abolishing inequalities regarding residence in the
Member States and properly guaranteeing freedom of movement for citizens of the Union.
It called on the Member States to align more closely the educational systems in the various
Member States, in order to facilitate the mobility of children. Parliament wished all impediments
to the mobility of young people within the European Union to be eliminated by simplifying the
recognition of their diplomas or certificates and adopting the directive on safeguarding
supplementary pension rights.
Infringement proceedings should be brought against all Member States which had not transposed
the directives on freedom of movement and right of residence.
As regards European and municipal elections, Parliament called on the Member States to ensure
that the rights to vote and stand as a candidate were granted without discrimination and could be
exercised by all citizens who held the nationality of a Member State and resided in the European
Union. It called on Belgium to adopt the national legal provisions transposing Directive 94/80/EC
concerning the right to vote in municipal elections as soon as possible.
It was necessary to decide on the practicalities of providing the European electorate with full
information on their rights to vote in and stand as candidates in European elections. Parliament
called on the political parties to accept more Union citizens who were not nationals of the country
concerned as party members and candidates on the electoral lists, and to encourage them to take
part in political life in their country of residence. No distinction should be made between the
exercise of European and local voting rights.
It was essential to provide citizens with more information about the role of the Ombudsman and
the right to petition the European Parliament. Parliament welcomed the success of the 'Citizens
of Europe' initiative and called for it to be expanded. Parliament regretted that the right to
consular and diplomatic protection was still at a theoretical stage and recommended that the
Member States should work on a common minimum definition of the protection which any Union
citizen might expect from any consular or diplomatic representation of a Member State. There
was an urgent need for legal protection against violations of data security, personal freedom and
integrity as a result of the misuse of printed and electronic mass media.
Parliament considered that the involvement of citizens in the process of European integration also
required practical measures on the part of the Union in the fields of economic and social affairs,
environmental protection and information. In particular, it considered that citizens' European
awareness could be enhanced by promoting symbols of membership of the Union, teaching a
common minimum syllabus for European history and culture, establishing European voluntary
service or introducing a European public holiday to celebrate Europe.�