Understanding your rights in the EU

Posted by Digital_Zone on February 2nd, 2021

ECAS are an EU citizen rights group and non-profit with over 30 years of experience in defending citizens’ rights and promoting democracy within the union.

Across Europe and in the UK, the group hold a number of long-lasting relationships with political movements and organisations. Their memberships are free-of-charge and provide regular updates on EU citizens’ rights through emails, webinars and alike, as well as helping promote their projects and wider engagement.

Each year, the group respond to over 20,000 individual emails concerning citizens’ rights, helping them fight their corner and ensure their safety.

The group want to help get the European project back on track, working towards a more connected and reliable European future that works in favour of all member nations. Over recent years, the EU has come under increasing pressure from political movements, many questioning its legitimacy and reliability. As such, as it is as important as ever that citizens are fairly represented and stood up for; this is where ECAS step in.

EU Rights
As a citizen of the European Union, you are automatically entitled to a host of EU rights such as freedom of movement, work, and speech.

ECAS’ goal is to ensure that all citizens are aware of, and taking advantage of, each of these freedoms, allowing them to live the best and safest life possible. As a non-for-profit, their work is purely charitable and only serves the purpose of helping others.

Between 2019 and 2022, the group has committed to a five-point plan to:

- Provide EU legal advice and support to citizens seeking to use their freedom of movement right.
- Promote and support solid governance within the union and enforcement of basic freedoms.
- Better advertise, and raise awareness of, the freedoms and advantages EU citizens are able to access through their membership with the union.
- Encourage mobile EU citizens to take advantage of their rights and freedoms to live a better, safer, and more prosperous.
- Provide specialist training to similar organisations to grow their outreach.

Populism within Europe
As briefly mentioned before, the European Union has come under increasing pressure in recent years owing to a rise in populism in Europe challenging globalist policies, such as membership of the EU within a host of key countries.

In 2016, the UK made a historical and future-defining vote to part ways with the EU, a move that only came to fruition at the start of 2021. Across the channel, Marine Le Pen has proven a popular figure among the young, Eurosceptic French, plunging the country’s future as a key figure within the union into doubt. In Germany, the far-right AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) have also based much of their political marketing around Euroscepticism and a stance against globalisation, further causing problems in continental unity.

ECAS take the view that, though they do not agree with the movements, they also disagree with the way the EU having approached tackling such campaigns – by doing nothing! With the political future of mainland Europe somewhat foggy, it is more important than ever that you are clued up and well-represented when it comes to EU rights, helping you ensure you are never taken advantage of.