The European citizenship from Maastricht to Lisbon: do citizens participate in the democratic life of the Eu?

Thirty years after the Maastricht Treaty came into force, European citizenship has yet to achieve its full potential. This study examines the development of European citizenship by analyzing the provisions of the 1993 Treaty, tracing its evolutionary paths, and exploring the new participatory instruments introduced with the Lisbon Treaty. An examination of the current legal experiences reveals a lack of awareness among Member State nationals of the potential of EU citizenship, although there are some positive signs of innovative participatory processes that promise well for the future.