“We, the people…”

Articles towards a European Citizenry

Some variation of this phrase is written into the very beginning of several founding documents. It is in the Preambles of the US Constitution, the UN Charter, and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, thus highlighting both the international character and the very European nature of this statement. Yet at the very core of this statement lies the question of citizenship. Who is “we”? How are we “a people”? What makes someone a citizen?

The Most Important Right of All