European citizenship

This article explains why the notion of 'European citizenship' is of interest to historians. The concept, formally introduced in the Maastricht pact (1992), expresses an historic change. Because the European nation-states have to act together, their leaders are, reluctantly and hesitatingly, searching for a common public. This article describes the three roads that Europe has taken since the 1950s in trying to find such a public: granting individual rights; constructing a common cultural identity; creating mechanisms of political representation. It explains why the second road is failing, but also why this does not mean the end of European citizenship. In short, being European is less about sharing a history than about assuming a common responsibility for the future.