Trends in the EU-27 Regarding Participation of Third-Country Nationals in the Host Country’s Political Life

Participation of third country nationals in the host country’s political life has been a core issue for international organisations at European level. The Council of Europe as well as EU institutions, notably the European Parliament and the Commission, have constantly and for quite some time supported the idea of opening up «civic participation» to non-nationals. The ultimate decision in this matter, however, lies in the hands of member states. This Briefing Paper looks at recent developments on this issue at member state level and seeks to identify trends in the EU-27. It casts a closer look at voting rights, access to citizenship, advisory councils and arenas of dialogue as well as the extent to which freedom of association is granted. Judging from this it is possible to observe that while progress towards more participation has been made, this progress is not only slow, but often does not meet the previous standards established by pioneer northern member states and the Council of Europe. With regard to access to citizenship there are signs that European member states are on the verge of imposing more restrictive criteria. Concerning the other assessed elements, trends are more difficult to identify, however, it seems as though there is still more than enough room for further development.

Briefing Paper for the LIBE Committee of the European Parliament

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Trends in the EU-27 Regarding Participation of Third-Country Nationals in the Host Country’s Political Life