Vol 1, No 1 (2010): Citizens For Europe
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Open Citizenship! A project of Citizens For Europe e. V., Open Citizenship aims to promote dialogue on EU citizenship by offering scholars, journalists and citizens a place to put forward their arguments, express their opinions, and share their thoughts. In order to encourage discussion, the journal has taken a hybrid form, which allows us to supplement the scholarly articles standard to academic journals with new sections that directly address the everyday challenges of citizenship.
Scholarly articles open the journal in ‘It’s Academic!’. This is followed by ‘Open Mic’, where anyone can contribute their hopes and concerns on EU citizenship issues. ‘Tea Time with…’ continues the conversation with experts and professionals. In ‘Movement Watch’, organisations working on citizenship matters present their projects and vision for a EU citizenship. Finally, reviewers examine the conversation taking place outside this journal in ‘Critics’ Corner’.
We plan to dedicate each issue to one aspect of EU citizenship. Starting broadly, we call this first issue ‘Citizens for Europe’, as an introduction to the topic. We are pleased to present several diverse viewpoints on this matter from writers throughout Europe and beyond. Aline Sierp opens ‘It’s Academic!’ with a solid introduction to EU citizenship and makes clear that much remains to be done in order make it more tangible for citizens in the European Union. Pablo Jiménez highlights the difficulties of a supranational citizenship and stresses the need for Europeans to emphasise their common cultural and religious traditions. Vera Kissler scrutinizes the role played by the European Court of Justice in filling out the concept of EU citizenship, revealing its role as a motor of the European integration process.
In ‘Open Mic’, Helen Bicknell chronicles her journey as a British national living in Germany towards German citizenship and with it voting privileges in regional and national elections. Murat Tosun asserts Turkey’s long history with Europe, concluding with recent examples of European Turks’ successful integration.
For this issue, we invited three opinion leaders from politics and civil society to ‘Tea Time’. Manuel Sarrazin, Member of the German Parliament, emphasises the importance of nation-states while still demanding a competence shift in citizenship issues towards Brussels. Gesine Schwan, president of the Humboldt-Viadrina School of Governance in Berlin, outlines the importance of active European citizens as the basis of a EU citizenship. Finally Gabriele Bischoff, head of European Affairs of the German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB), sketches out the tendency of Member State governments toward re-nationalisation and fears that the EU’s additional value, the welfare state, is at risk.
In ‘Movement Watch’, the following projects are presented: CitizensForEurope.eu, EUDO Citizenship, Global Citizen, and Citizen(ship) in the New Age. You can also learn about our parent organisation, Citizens For Europe e. V.
Finally, Catherine Taroni reviews the book The Politics of European citizenship and our own Lisa Pettibone draws lessons from the virtual citizenship found in the film 8th Wonderland in ‘Critics’ Corner’.
The conversation is just beginning. We welcome your thoughts about this issue as well as contributions to future issues. Submissions for our next issue, which will examine discrimation in the EU, are due 15 February 2011.
So again, welcome to Open Citizenship. We hope you enjoy our inaugural issue on ‘Citizens for Europe’.
Your CFE Team
Academic
- Towards a European social contract through judicial activism?, Vera Kissler
- Exploring an analogical citizenship for Europe, Pablo Jiménez
- A question of impact – EU citizenship without citizens?, Aline Sierp
Commentary
- Non-EU nationals in the EU – the case of Turkey, Murat Tosun
- ‘Agnostic’ in Europe?, Helen Bicknell
- Citizen(ship) in the New Age: Citizenship Education for the Multicultural and Globalized World, Citizen(ship) in the New Age
Interview
- Teatime with Manuel Sarrazin
- Teatime with Gesine Schwan
- Teatime with Gabriele Bischoff
- Citizens For Europe e. V.
Movement Watch
- New Europe and Global Citizen, New Europe
- EUDO CITIZENSHIP, EUDO Citizenship
- Citizensforeurope.eu, Citizensforeurope .eu
- Citizens For Europe e. V., Citizens For Europe
Review
- Film review: 8th Wonderland, Lisa Pettibone
- Book review: The politics of European citizenship, Catherine Taroni