European citizenship was established by the Treaty on European Union (1992).  Anyone who is a national of a Member State is considered to be a citizen of the Union.  Among other rights and duties spelled out in the EU treaties, Union citizenship confers four special rights:
• freedom to move and take up residence anywhere in the Union;
• the right to vote and stand in local government and European Parliament elections in the country of residence;
• diplomatic and consular protection from the authorities of any Member State where the country of which a person is a national is not represented in a non-Union country;
• the right of petition and appeal to the European Ombudsman.