Citizens should be more aware of their rights deriving from citizenship of the Union, namely their right to move and reside freely in the Union, their right to vote and stand as candidates in elections to the European Parliament and in municipal elections in their Member State of residence under the same conditions as nationals of that State, their right to petition the European Parliament in any of the Treaty languages, their right to submit citizens' initiatives and their right to lodge complaints with the European Ombudsman against institutional maladministration, and should be able to exercise those rights.

193. Recalls that the 1992 Treaty of Maastricht introduced the concept of ‘citizenship of the Union’, conferring on every citizen of the Union the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Union, the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in municipal elections and in elections to the European Parliament in the Member State in which he or she resides, protection by the diplomatic or consular authorities of any Member State, the right to petition the European Parliament and to apply to the European Ombudsman, and a series of rights in various fields such as the free movement of goods and services, consumer protection ...[+++]and public health, equal opportunities and equal treatment, and access to employment and to social protection; notes that the Treaties of Amsterdam (1997) and Lisbon (2009) further strengthened the rights associated with Union citizenship;

While Directive 2004/81/EC provides for the issue of a residence permit to victims of trafficking in human beings who are third-country nationals, and Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the rights of the citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States (12) regulates the exercise of the right to move and reside freely in the territory of the Member States by citizens of the Union and their families, including protection from expulsion, this Directive establishes specific protective measures for any victim of trafficking i ...[+++]n human beings.

[52] The Commission just published an updated and simplified guide for EU citizens on freedom to move and live in Europe, spelling out in a reader-friendly manner the rights and possibilities open to them [http ...]

Citizens of the Union have the right to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States, the right to vote and stand as candidates in elections to the European Parliament and in municipal elections in their Member State of residence, protection of diplomatic and consular authorities of other Member States etc.

The report focuses on the legal core of citizens' rights, namely the right to move and reside within the EU (Article 18), the right to vote and stand as a candidate in European and municipal elections in the Member State of residence (Article 19), the right to diplomatic and consular protection in third countries (Article 20), the right to petition the European Parliament (EP) and the right to apply to the Ombudsman (Article 21).