Description: European citizenship has been a key issue since the Treaty of Maastricht. Both governmental and non-governmental actors have seen the extension of the citizenship provisions as an important part of the drive to democratize the EU. Recent years have seen some important institutional and political developments. The Treaty of Amsterdam clarified the formal allocation of citizenship rights, emphasising the complementary nature of EU citizenship with respect to member state nationality. It also made significant changes to European citizenship as an institutionalized practice, and incorporated the Schengen agreements on freedom of movement.
