I Am a European

Every person who is a full-fledged citizen of a member-state of the European Union is automatically a full-fledged member of the Union as well. European citizenship in and of itself, however, is not sufficient to enable someone to define themselves as European. To be a European, this is far more than just having the opportunity to benefit from European rights. This belonging includes much deeper values, principles and ideas, aiming at ensuring a better life in a united community with a clear vision of the future.

Let us first review the legal aspect of being a European. Each European citizen has rights guaranteed by the European Union, which are intended to supplement the rights guaranteed to them by their native country. European rights are based on the common principles of the Union, namely: respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy and equality.

One of those rights is the right of European citizens to move and reside freely on the territory of the European Union. It gives them the freedom to travel with any purpose – tourism, cultural enrichment, training, work, etc. This helps the cultural exchange on the territory of the European Union and blurs the boundaries between the countries, thus achieving a feeling of unity.

Another very important right of the Europeans is their right to vote and be candidates in elections for the European Parliament. It is a direct supplement of the political rights we have in Bulgaria and is related to the democratic foundation of the European Union.

Maybe one of the most important rights European citizens have, is their right to seek protection from the European Court of Human Rights or from the European Commission. These institutions are created for the benefit of the people whose rights have been violated.

The other aspect of having a European affiliation is related to the values and ideas input in the European Union from its very establishment. The European community has always supported the principles of the lawful state, which are related to respecting each person, equality among people and their rights and liberties. In this context, each of us should be ready to stand up for those principles and values and even accept them as personal mantra. Naturally, that would take some effort and would mean commitment of that person to various public problems, but, still, people have had to fight for each cause because that remains the only way to achieve its goals.

The cause of Europeans is to create a united community within the Union where there is no discrimination but mutual respect among the individual states constituting the Union, thus preserving the cultural diversity. It is an extremely valuable treasure and endless source of knowledge and experience for each member of the community and each member can also contribute to this knowledge and experience at any time. One of the difficulties in realizing this cause comes in the form of prejudice and loftiness of too many people and they prevent those people from even imagining the possibility of such a bright and positive future.

I am a European, not only because I can be characterized as an European citizen based on my nationality and because I have a bunch of rights  as a result, but also because I can imagine that future and I am ready to fight for it. I am ready to support the European values and make them an integral part of my visions and principles. The more Bulgarians do that, the close we will get to realizing the cause and maybe we will finally become dignified Europeans and stop being the last in almost tall European statistics.

Author:

Mihail Georgiev

Student from the XI-th grade of Secondary School “Sv. Kliment Ohridski”,

town of Aksakovo, Varna district