A comment on the Ruiz Zambrano judgment: a genuine European integration
Résumé
Let me say first where I see the main contribution of this judgment to the development of European citizenship. In the case-law of the Court which gave substance to this notion, EU citizenship consisted essentially in offering the nationals of the member states the opportunity to act on a transnational plane within the Union. Nationals of member states were granted rights in order to circulate freely, to be admitted in other member states and to enjoy the same treatment as nationals of the host country. They were vested with the power to address the authorities of another member state and to claim admission, residence and welfare benefits on the same conditions as the nationals of that state. This empowerment was aimed to ensure the social integration of EU citizens. The status of EU citizen has been mainly construed as a status of integration into the member states of the Union, a status of transnational integration. Now, what emerges from this case is the notion of integration within the territory of the Union taken as a whole. We move from a national or plurinational integration to a genuine European integration. The European territory as such is the natural place of life and integration for European citizens and their families. (First paragraph)