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History …
. What about the Some visionaries that we have enumerated have inspired the
creation of the current European Union. Without your energy
and motivation, we would not be living in the sphere of peace
European Union? and stability that we now consider to be acquired. From
resistance fighters to lawyers, the Founding Fathers of the EU
formed a group of personalities from different quarters who
shared the same ideal: the creation of a peaceful, united and
prosperous Europe. In addition to the personalities mentioned
here, many others inspired the European project and worked
tirelessly towards its realization. This section on the Founding
Fathers of the EU is therefore far from exhaustive.

Konrad Adenauer | Joseph Bech | Johan Willem Beyen | Winston

Churchill | Alcide De Gasperi | Walter Hallstein | Sicco
Mansholt | Jean Monnet | Robert Schuman | Paul-Henri
Spaak | Altiero Spinelli

+ PD, + AC | page 1
Altiero Spinelli

He was born on August 31, 1907, in Italy, and

was an Italian communist politician, political
theorist and European federalist.
Spinelli is referred to as one of the founding
fathers of the European Union due to his co-
authorship of the Ventotene Manuscript, his
founding role in the European federalist
movement, his strong influence in the first
decades of post-World War IIEuropean
integration and, later, his role in relaunch of the
integration process in the 1980s.
Paul-Henri Spaak
He was born on January 25, 1899, in Schaerbeek, Belgium. He
served as Prime Minister of Belgium and was the first President
of the European Parliament.
In 1950 he was elected president of the Council of Europe, and
two years later he was elected from the parliamentary assembly
of the European Coal and Steel Community.

Winston Churchill

He was born at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Oxfordshire on 30

November 1874 and died in London on 24 January 1965.
He was the British prime minister, from 1940 to 1945 and from
1951 to 1955, he was the one who directed Britain during World
War II.
 Robert Schuman

Politician, high-level lawyer and French Minister for

Foreign Affairs between 1948 and 1952, is considered one
of the promoters of European unification.
In collaboration with Jean Monnet, he drew up the famous
Schuman Plan, which he released on 9 May 1950, today
considered the date of birth of the European Union. In that
plan, Schuman proposed joint control of the production of
coal and steel, the most important raw materials for arms
production. The fundamental idea underlying the
proposal was that a country that did not control the
production of coal and steel would not be in a position to
declare war on another.
 What are the Sakharov Prize?

Respect for human rights is one of the fundamental

values of the European Union. Any violation of these
rights is detrimental to the democratic principles on
which our society is based, whether that violation
occurs inside or outside the EU. The European
Parliament combats such violations through
legislative action, including election observation,
monthly human rights debates in Strasbourg and the
inclusion of human rights in its foreign trade
agreements.
In addition, the European Parliament supports
human rights through the Sakharov Prize for
Freedom of Thought, established in 1988. This award
is given to people who have made an exceptional
contribution to the struggle for human rights
worldwide, calling attention to human rights
violations and supporting laureates and their cause.
In September of each year, MEPs nominate
candidates for the Sakharov Prize. Each candidacy
must be supported by a minimum of 40 deputies and
individual members can only support one candidate.
The duly signed proposals and the respective
grounds are submitted to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs and the Committee on Development for
consideration at a joint meeting. A list of three
candidates is subsequently drawn up and presented
to the Conference of Presidents for final vote. The
winner is usually announced in October.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES
The languages of the European Union are those spoken by
the population of the Member States. They include not only
the 24 official languages, but also the regional ones.

Linguistic map of Europe (simplified).

• German
• Bulgarian
• Castilian
• Czech
• Croatian
• Danish
• Slovak
• Slovenian
• Estonian
• Finnish
• French
• Greek
• Hungarian
• English
• Irish
• Italian
• Latvian
• Lithuanian
• Maltese
• Dutch
• Polish
• Portuguese
• Romanian
• Swedish

THE EUROPEAN CITIZENS' INITIATIVE

• What is the European Citizens' Initiative?

The citizens' initiative allows one million citizens of the

European Union from at least seven countries in the Union to
invite the European Commission to submit legislative
proposals in areas where the EU is competent to legislate.
This is a right enshrined in the EU treaties. The rules and
procedures governing the citizens' initiative are defined in an
EU regulation adopted by the European Parliament and the
Council of the European Union in February 2011.

• What can be proposed under a citizens' initiative?

A citizens' initiative is an invitation for the European

Commission to present a legislative proposal in an area within
its competence, for example, in the field of the environment,
agriculture, transport, public health, etc. Who can organize a
European citizens' initiative? All EU citizens (nationals of an
EU country) of the minimum age required to exercise the right
to vote, in elections to the European Parliament (ie 16 years
in Austria and 18 years in all other EU countries) can organize
citizenship initiatives. They will, however, have to set up a
citizens' committee in advance composed of at least seven
EU citizens residing in at least seven different EU countries.
The citizens' committee is responsible for managing the entire
process. Citizenship initiatives cannot be presented by
organizations. However, any organization can promote or
sponsor initiatives, as long as it does so in a completely
transparent manner. Regulation (EU) No. 211/2011 of the
European Parliament and of the Council, of 16 February 2011,
on the citizens' initiative:
http://euricando/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri= OJ: L: 2011:
065: 0001: 0022: EN: PDF It is not mandatory that citizens are
registered, it is enough that they have the minimum age
necessary to exercise the right to vote.

• Who can subscribe to a European citizens' initiative?

All EU citizens (nationals of an EU country) of the minimum

age required to exercise the right to vote in elections to the
European Parliament (ie 16 years in Austria and 18 years in
all other EU countries) can subscribe to a citizens' initiative.

• Where can I find out about ongoing citizenship initiatives?

All citizens' initiatives launched in the EU are registered and

centralized on an Internet site managed by the European
Commission:
http://ec.europa.eu/citizens-initiative
The rights of European citizens are defined in the Treaties, but
they are not limited to them. In addition to these rights, there
are a number of rights and obligations arising from the
National Constitutions of each Member State and the
fundamental rights contained in the European Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
(Council of Europe), signed on 4 November 1950 in Rome.

1. Principles in the Treaties

The principles contained in the Treaties have an influence on
the rights and duties of the European citizen, some of which
are directly applicable:
• any discrimination based on nationality is prohibited (art. 12
of the TEC);
• non-discrimination on grounds of sex, race or ethnic origin,
religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation (art. 13
TEC);
• Member States will ensure the application of the principle of
equal pay for male and female workers, for equal work or work
of equal value (Art. 141 TEC).

2. Rights included in the Treaties

The fundamental rights, duties and guarantees enshrined in
Part II of the TEC are:
• freedom of movement and right of residence in the territory
of the Member States (art. 18);
• the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in elections to
the European Parliament and in municipal elections in the
Member State of residence (art. 19);
• the right to diplomatic and consular protection (art. 20);
• right to petition the European Parliament (art. 21);
• the right to appeal to the European Ombudsman (art. 21).
The Amsterdam Treaty (1999) completes the list of civil
rights that the citizens of the Union enjoy:
• the right to address the European institutions in one of the
official languages and to obtain an answer written in the
same language (art. 21 TEC);
• the right of access to European Parliament, Council and
Commission documents, subject to certain conditions (art.
255 TEC).
The Lisbon Treaty, which came into force on January 1,
2009, preserves and recognizes new rights and mechanisms
for their respect.

3.Live, work and study

Directly related to the fundamental right - "freedom of
movement and the right of residence in the territory of the
Member States" (art. 18) - inscribed in the Treaty, other
rights assume a prominent place.
Citizens of the European Union can: live, work, study and
travel across the community. Restrictions on this freedom of
movement can only exist for reasons of order, security or
public health.

4. Consumer rights
Other rights that prove to be extremely important for the
daily life of the citizen are the rights of consumers mentioned
in art. 153 of the TCE - Consumer Protection. The welfare of
residents in the Union is a permanent concern of the
institutions of the European Union.
Notwithstanding the wording of paragraph 2 of art. 17 TEC, citizenship of the
Union does not, to date, entail any duties for Union citizens.

The assumptions that: obtaining and exercising rights only exist if citizens fulfill
their duties and that each right corresponds to a duty, translates the balance
necessary to guarantee full citizenship.

Citizens' duties basically consist of a set of obligations towards those who

guarantee their rights and towards other citizens. These obligations are, for
example:

• the payment of taxes;

• the use of public services;

• the payment of social security;

• compliance with the law;

• respect for authority;

• preserving the environment;

• respect for the rules of tolerance and courtesy when dealing with other citizens.

In the case of European citizenship, although the duties do not appear explicit
in the Treaties, they comprise a set of obligations, that is:

• assume a European identity (duty to understand history, duty of identity and

duty of defense);

• applying European values in practice (duty to share, duty to work and

democratic duty);

• claim the right to justice (duty of justice and the duty to contribute to building a
more just world order).