Abstract:

The term European Union citizenship came into being with the Maastricht Treaty where European Community turned to an economic and political union and in order to empower the status of citizens within the union and additional to the four fundamental freedoms that citizens of the European Community member states enjoyed. The term has been in an evolution process after the Maastricht Treaty by Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon Treaties. This study will evaluate the rights of the citizens of member states from the establishment of the European Communities together with the concept of the European citizenship in the light of the important decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Union, similarities and differences between the European Union citizenship and ordinary citizenship and evolution process. Within this context Association Citizenship, a term within the framework of European Union-Turkey association regime, shall also be referred.

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