Voicing the Right to Belong: European Citizenship and Romanians in France

Although Romania has been a member of the European Union (EU) since 2007 and Romanian citizens have the right to travel and reside freely in any other EU member state, Romanian migrants in France have occasionally been denied these rights. In 1992 the Treaty on European Union established the notion of European citizenship, conferred to every person holding the nationality of a member state. In a framework that considers the implications of European citizenship this paper explores the situation of Romanian migrants in France after the fall of socialism in 1989, migrants’ relationship to this citizenship, and the forms of belonging it triggers. I ask: How important is European citizenship among Romanian migrants in France? What are some of the contexts in which they activate this citizenship and for what purposes? What forms of belonging do they forge as a consequence of their experience in France? Based on ethnographic research in France, and combined with an analysis of political discourses and media sources, this paper argues that European citizenship is invoked and gains importance among Romanian migrants in France in contexts when rights are not granted.