The overwhelming majority of Romanians (92%) is familiar with the concept of being “citizen of the European Union”, one percent more than the EU average (91%), reads the latest Eurobarometer survey on EU Citizenship and Democracy released by the European Commission on Thursday.
However, only 62% of the Romanians know what the term of being “a EU citizen” actually means, as against the EU average share of 65%.
The citizens’ awareness to this notion has constantly increased since 2015, when the percentage stood at 87% and it is at its highest level since 2007.
The survey says that 83% of the Romanian respondents consider that the movement freedom within EU is bringing general benefits to the economy, compared to the European average of 84%.
Most Europeans are well informed about their electoral rights – at national and European level, the eurobarometer also shows.
“I am happy to see that more and more Europeans are aware of their EU citizenship rights: the right to reside in another Member State, to be treated equally regardless of their nationality or to vote and stand in EU elections. But citizens also need to know how to protect those rights when they are not respected. I want to empower European citizens, so that they can fully benefit from what Europe has to offer,” said Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová.
In his turn, Commissioner for Justice and Consumers, Didier Reynders added: “Fostering EU citizenship and participation in democratic life remains one of the Commission’s highest priorities. It is therefore very encouraging to see that an overwhelming majority of Europeans know what being a citizen of the European Union means concretely. The European Commission is equally committed to ensuring that citizens can continue enjoying all the rights that EU citizenship gives them. This holds particularly true in COVID-19 times, where we have to be extra vigilant to protect citizen’s rights.”