Europe as a means of action: The campaign for voting rights for third country nationals in the Europeanisation process

Often associated with the expression "citizenship of residence", the establishment of European citizenship brought new rights to the citizens of the European Union, particularly the right to vote in a foreign country. This chapter will focus on the role of social actors in shaping the evolving concept of "European citizenship" by focusing on the specific campaigns dedicated to the cause of voting rights for third country nationals. First it provides a brief overview of the history of voting rights in the European Union, which culminated in the inclusion of European citizenship in the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992. On which models did this concept of citizenship draw? And why was this model adopted over all other competing models? The second part considers the efforts of one particular group of social actors to reform the model that was finally adopted. The Association for a European Citizenship of Residence, (ACER) campaigns for the implementation of citizen status to all EU residents, whether or not they are nationals of an EU member state. This chapter apprehends the different social actors who are involved in this campaign, the leading arguments which they mobilize, and the bonds between the various countries of the EU.