Notions of EU Citizenship Among Young People in the Peripheral Regions of East Central Europe

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter explores the notions of EU citizenship among young adults in the peripheral regions of East Central Europe (ECE). Based on structured interviews in five countries of the region with questions partially derived from the Eurobarometer, the results suggest that postmodern civic notions of EU citizenship are more prevalent among them than traditional ones. However, this notion is ambiguous given the students’ moderate level of attachment to the EU, their limited knowledge about EU legal rights defining citizenship, and their lack of actual experience in political participation. Traditional and postmodern notions are, however, equally compatible with political support for EU integration. Further, traditional notions of citizenship and lowered political support are not connected to the perceived peripheral status of one’s own region of living but to the perception of its superiority.