Abstract
Over 20 years after the signing of the Maastricht treaty, the connection between the single currency and European citizenship has been all but neglected by policymakers and academics alike. This chapter examines this overlooked side of the coin, building a foundation for analysing the link between European citizenship and the single currency, and finding at the core of this relationship cultural, social, everyday-life economic, and political dimensions. It then examines these in turn, finding that culturally, the single currency represents a potent symbol of Europe. Socially the euro represents a common language and defines a common territory for Eurozone members, while the exchange of notes and coins between Eurozone countries holds symbolic value as well. Economically, the euro represents a common benchmark of value and a tool for exchange across borders, while politically the common currency has helped to drive institution building and the construction of a common European public sphere, while helping to shape citizenship practices, i.e. citizens' relationship with the polity. In the final section, this chapter offers some hypotheses about the connection between the single currency and European citizenship, concluding with a discussion of the ways forward after the crisis, examining the lessons learned, as well as possible research tracks and policy measures.
For providing substantial insights for this chapter I am grateful to Marina Calloni, Sergio Fabbrini, Paolo Graziano, Daniela Piana, Francesco Raniolo, Vivien Schmidt, Michele Sorice, Ennio Triggiani, Ugo Villani. A special thanks to Lucia Mazzuca and Roberto Ranucci, FONDACA fellows of mine in The Other Side of the Coin program. See Moro (2013).
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Notes
- 1.
Vivien Schmidt has attributed to the EU the making of policy without politics, and vice versa to the Member States; see Schmidt (2006, p. 22 ff.).
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Moro, G. (2015). The Single Currency and European Citizenship. In: Liebert, U., Wolff, J. (eds) Interdisziplinäre Europastudien. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-03620-1_12
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