§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what rights of citizens are specified in the treaties of the European Communities and the European Union; and what measures have been adopted to give effect to these rights.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe treaty of Rome, as amended by the treaty on European Union, confers a number of rights on citizens of the European Union. These, and the measures adopted to give them effect, include:552W
—the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the member states, subject to the limitations and conditions laid down in the Treaty (essentially governed by Articles 48, 52 and 59 of the Treaty of Rome and a number of Regulations and Directives, including Council Regulation 1612–68 and Council Directives 90/364 EEC, 90/365 EEC and 93/96 EEC);—the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in elections to the European Parliament in the Member State in which the citizen resides (measures were adopted in Council Directive 93/109 EC. These were implemented in the United Kingdom by the European Parliamentary Elections (changes to the Franchise and Qualifications and Representatives) Regulations 1994);—the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in municipal elections in the Member State in which the citizen resides (implementation of these rights is still under discussion);—the right to protection by the diplomatic and consular authorities and another Member State in foreign countries where the Member State of which the citizen is a national is not represented (subject to the Guidelines for the Protection of Unrepresented EC Nationals by EC Missions in Third Countries, which took effect on 1 July 1993);—the right to petition the European Parliament (as set out in Article 138d of the Treaty. This right has long been accepted by the Parliament and was reflected in the Parliament's rules of procedure long before the entry into force of the Treaty on European Union);—the right to apply to the European Ombudsman to investigate allegations of maladministration by the Community institutions (as set out in Article 138e of the Treaty and the Decision adopted by the European Parliament in September 1993 on the regulations and general conditions governing the performance of the Ombudsman's duties, subsequently approved by the Council in its decision on February 1994).