EU Citizenship and the Young People in the Peripheral Areas of East Central Europe: Three Recommendations for Research on Citizenship

Abstract EU citizenship is a specific case of citizenship, which transnationally expands nation-state citizenship by focusing on cross-border mobility and transnational participation rights. The chapter argues that the key issue with EU citizenship remains the equality of status, especially when it comes to young people in peripheral areas of East Central Europe. The chapter sketches some key issues of citizenship research including EU citizenship. It also problematizes them concerning peripheral (especially rural) areas and young citizens. Against this backdrop, it formulates three recommendations for the research on citizenship, specifically EU citizenship with regard to rural areas in East Central Europe. The recommendations focus on (1) the difference between urban and rural citizenship, (2) direct social rights, and (3) the EU citizenship as nested and enacted citizenship.