Trends in the eu-27 Regarding Participation of Third-Country Nationals in the Host Country’s Political Life
04-06-2007
Participation of third country nationals in the host country’s political life has been a core issue for international organisations at European level. The Council of Europe as well as EU institutions, notably the European Parliament and the Commission, have constantly and for quite some time supported the idea of opening up “civic participation” to nonnationals. The ultimate decision in this matter, however, lies in the hands of member states. This Briefing Paper looks at recent developments on this ...
Participation of third country nationals in the host country’s political life has been a core issue for international organisations at European level. The Council of Europe as well as EU institutions, notably the European Parliament and the Commission, have constantly and for quite some time supported the idea of opening up “civic participation” to nonnationals. The ultimate decision in this matter, however, lies in the hands of member states. This Briefing Paper looks at recent developments on this issue at member state level and seeks to identify trends in the EU-27. It casts a closer look at voting rights, access to citizenship, advisory councils and arenas of dialogue as well as the extent to which freedom of association is granted. The author is able to observe that while progress towards more participation is made, this progress is not only slow, but often does not meet the previous standards established by pioneer northern member states and the Council of Europe. With regard to access to citizenship there are signs that European member states are on the verge of imposing more restrictive criteria. Concerning the other assessed elements, trends are more difficult to identify, however, it seems as though there is still more than enough room for further development.
Εξωτερικός συντάκτης
Florian Geyer, Centre for European Policy Studies, (CEPS), Bruxelles