Under Article 9 of the TEU and Article 20 of the TFEU, every person holding the nationality of a Member State is a citizen of the Union. Nationality is defined according to the national laws of that State. Citizenship of the Union is complementary to, but does not replace, national citizenship. EU citizenship comprises a number of rights and duties in addition to those stemming from citizenship of a Member State.
Chapter 5 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is on citizens’ rights. Articles 39-46 in this chapter protect the following rights
- right to vote and to stand as a candidate at elections to the European Parliament
- right to vote and to stand as a candidate at municipal elections
- right to good administration
- right of access to documents
- european ombudsman
- right to petition
- freedom of movement and of residence
- diplomatic and consular protection