| Citizenship |
| The issue: |
Dear Sir George,
I wonder if you could answer a few questions for me. Apart from my British citizenship am I also a citizen of the European Union, and if so by what
piece of legislation? Is our Queen a citizen of the EU if I am one? Can she be taken to EU court?
Many thanks in anticipation of your reply,
Stuart Noyes
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| Date Issue Raised: |
26 Jun 2003 |
| My response: |
Thank you for the email. I have consulted with Lord Inglewood MEP, who is our constitutional spokesman.
EU citizenship was conferred by the Treaty of Maastricht which was ratified by the British Parliament in 1993. This gave all British citizens the additional rights of EU citizenship.
It follows that the Queen is also an EU citizen The European Court of Justice deals with civil law emanating from the EU treaties, rather than criminal law and it is very rare for any individual to appear before such a court. The role of the ECJ is to give definitive interpretations of EU law.
This is a link to the amended European Communities Act, which may be of interest.
http://www.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1993/Ukpga_19930032_en_1.htm
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Sir George Young Bt MP: Constituency and Parliamentary Website