Perhaps most significant is the call for a dedicated EU Commissioner for expatriate Europeans and an agency to monitor concerns. This resonates with Ireland’s recent experience in establishing the Irish Abroad Unit, and Ireland could perhaps be an instructive case study in establishing this type of initiative.

Most of the recommendations would be relatively uncontroversial here: Ireland  takes a particularly open approach to multiple citizenships, for example. But the recommendations call for expatriate citizens to be granted voting rights – a right granted to most European citizens, but not Irish nationals. The organisation notes that the current situation, in which some nations allow their non-EU resident expats to vote for representatives at European level and others do not, leads to inequality among European citizens.

Europeans Throughout the World is a non-governmental federation of national associations representing Europeans living outside their countries of origin.

The full text of the recommendations:

STOCKHOLM RECOMMENDATIONS

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of their founding, The Europeans throughout the World, the confederation of associations of European expatriates, meeting in Stockholm at the kind invitation of the Federation Swedes Abroad, recalls that citizens of the European Union living in another country than their own throughout the world are estimated to number between 60 and 80 million, thus together forming the equivalent of a large member state, make very substantial contributions to Europe’s presence in the world, and should be considered a great asset for Europe.

The Europeans throughout the World urges European national governments and the institutions of the European Union, particularly the European Parliament,

• to give political and practical recognition and support to this large body of citizens, many of whom have a very high degree of international mobility, consistent with and often a consequence of the progress of the EU and their professional and societal role within it;

• to act upon the following recommendations, which proceed from over fifty-five years of experience of the EU and twenty-five years of action, and which also build upon and extend the Paris Declaration adopted at the Meeting of European Citizens resident outside their country of origin in Paris on 30 September 2008.

Voting rights – all expatriate European citizens should be given specific national and EU-level representation in order that their voices may be properly heard and their concerns, specific to their condition as expatriates, properly taken into account:

• All EU citizens should be given the right to vote in their national elections at national and regional level, and practical arrangements made to facilitate the convenience to the citizen, wherever he or she resides in the world, for example through proxy, postal and/or electronic voting mechanisms.
• All EU citizens should be given the right to choose to vote in European Parliament elections in their country of residence or of one of their EU nationalities, and practical arrangements made to facilitate the convenience to the citizen, wherever he or she resides in the world.

Multiple nationalities

• All EU citizens should be given the right to possess and to gain or regain multiple  nationalities to which they may have a claim, given the fundamental nature of nationality to the citizen and his or her means of livelihood.

Diplomatic and consular protection

• Full and uniform protection should be ensured to all EU citizens through the network of EU member states’ embassies and consulates throughout the world, irrespective of their nationalities and countries of residence.
• This should extend especially to prisoners, who are often particularly vulnerable – judicial proceedings in third countries should be closely monitored and full defence of the accused ensured. Wherever possible they should be able to purge their sentence in (one of) their own country(ies).

Social Security

• The right of patients to treatment in the country of their choice, regardless of the country(ies) in which they have paid their state and/or private health insurance contributions, should be ensured in practice, in line with the jurisprudence of the European Court of Justice.

Pensions

• The acquisition of state and supplementary pensions should be ensured in practice, and their payment ensured from the age of retirement, to all expatriate EU citizens, wherever they reside in the world, and existing EU legislation enforced and extended. Cases of multiple taxation need to be removed. Particular attention should be given to the situation of people who have followed their spouses abroad and may find their rights seriously curtailed.

Education

• The possibility of complementary education in one’s mother tongue should be extended to all children of expatriate EU citizens, allowing them to preserve the knowledge of their mother tongue and culture.

Mutual Recognition of Diplomas and Professional Training

• There are many diplomas and professional qualifications of EU member states which are not recognised in other EU countries. The ongoing efforts towards mutual recognition should be intensified and extended to further fields.

Justice

• Expatriate EU citizens should be guaranteed a legally indisputable choice of competent jurisdictions and simplified access to these.
• Family law should be harmonised and enforced, particularly in the areas of the consequences of divorce for children.
• Contradictions and multiple taxation should be removed from the area of succession and inheritance.

“European Referent� in the national public services

• A personalised “European Administrative Windowâ€? should be created within the national, regional and/or local administrations, fully aware of the legal and administrative aspects at EU level.

A European Commissioner and an Agency for expatriate Europeans

• Considering that the above concerns have not been fully addressed, we reiterate our recommendation that a Member of the European Commission should be given specific responsibility for expatriate EU citizens.
• All European Institutions should set up specific mechanisms to take account of the specific concerns of expatriate EU citizens.
• An agency should be created to take up these concerns on a permanent basis. It should be charged with monitoring and furthering all the above concerns, and should be given appropriate means to carry out these tasks.

Related website:

Europeans Throughout the World

The poster reminds expats that if there is no consulate of their home country in the non-EU state in which they are in, they may request urgent assistance from any other EU country.

As a citizen of the European Union, you can expect the embassies and consulates of any other EU country to assist you on the same conditions as nationals of that State and in particular to :

• provide you with an emergency travel document
• contact your family, your next of kin and the authorities in your country
• protect you if you are in danger or difficulty, especially as a result of arrest, detention, an accident or serious illness
• provide the help you need to be evacuated or repatriated.

To enjoy this protection :

you must be a citizen of an EU Member State

you must be in a country that is not a Member of the European Union

your country must have no consular or diplomatic representation in the country in question.

Download the poster.

Visit the European Commission’s website on consular protection for more information.

See the Department of Foreign Affairs’ list of Irish embassies and consulates abroad.

Additionally, some claim they are finding they are having to give up few of their comforts. Patrick Hughes, MD of an estate agency selling to Irish people, says, “There’s no sacrifice. We have RTE here. We can get the Irish papers every day; it’s like home from home, except warmer and more comfortable… You live the same here as you do at home”.

The one caveat expressed in the article is that children tend to become more independent and grow up more quickly in Spain.

The Irish in Spain have been in the headlines over the last two weeks with the disappearance of Amy Fitzpatrick, who went missing from Mijas on New Year’s Day. Her family has lived in the Costa del Sol for about a year.

See the full article in the Irish Independent, “Boom in Irish families living Spanish dream“.

The Basilica of San Clemente will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the excavations undertaken by Dominican priest Joseph Mullooly. Fr Mullooly was born in Longford in 1812 and in 1840 left for Italy, where he entered the Dominican Order. He became superior of San Clemente in 1850 and remained there for the rest of his life.

A letter-writer in today’s Irish Times reveals that the basilica’s weekend celebrations will include a concert and a mass sung by the Dublin-based Lassus Scholars; the Irish community in Rome is expected to attend, along with the Irish ambassadors to Italy and the Holy See.

Visit the basilica’s website.

Additionally, hundreds and possibly thousands of Irish people will attend the canonisation of Charles of Mount Argus. The Passionist priest was born in Holland in 1821, and came to Ireland in 1857 after stints in Belgium and England. It was while he was in England that he first came into contact with emigrant Irish people who were living there after fleeing the famine; he began then referring to the Irish as “my people”.

Blessed Charles became known for his powers of curing both mental and physical ailments. He spent most of his life in Ireland until he died there in 1893. He was beatified in 1996. He will be canonised by Pope Benedict on Sunday.

Learn more about Blessed Charles.

During her visit to Latvia on Tuesday, President McAleese said, ‘The largest number of Irish migrants left because they had little opportunity at home. We know they would wish to come home, so it’s important to explain to them what’s happening in Ireland now”.

President McAleese told Lithuanians, “As your economy expands, many Lithuanians currently living in Ireland will surely feel the pull of home”. She added, “When they do return, they will bring with them valued skills and experience to help develop your own country as it seeks to reap the full advantages of EU membership.”

The report investigated employment conditions of workers who travelled from one country to another for any reason, found that migrants in Europe face segregation into low-paid jobs with little opportunity for mobility. They are more likely than non-migrants to  face unhealthy working conditions; work longer hours; and perform night, weekend and shift work. They are also more frequently exposed to discrimination in the workplace.

Migrant workers are often overqualified for the work they do, are exposed to greater job insecurity and are more likely to be unemployed. Despite these additional hardships, migrant workers are often poorly represented by trade unions.

Download the report from the Eurofound website.

The service allows users to create a straightforward CV and complete a self-assessment of language skills, and offers information on mobility, certificate and diploma supplements. The service is free of charge and available throughout Europe.

Visit www.europass.ie.

The report notes that many of the Irish who came originally intended staying only a short time, while others came because they had a Turkish spouse or parent. It also says that the Irish community is well-integrated into Turkish life, and socialising tends to be with Turkish friends rather than other Irish expats; at Eamonn Lehane’s Irish bar, none of the clientele are Irish. The low costs of living and accommodation are reported to be attractions for many of the Irish.

Most of the Irish interviewed for the article report no religious tension in the Muslim nation, with one woman saying that “For anyone that I know here, it just doesn’t affect their daily life.”

The full article is available on Ireland.com (subscription required).

The event highlighted the gap between European principles and lived experience. Participants reported inconsistent application of rules, red tape, and insufficient information.

The case histories of the 14 citizens are also recounted on the ECAS website. Their stories highlight a number of problems:
- working below qualifications and barriers to recognising experience earned abroad when returning home
- the “vicious circle” of formalising residence and looking for jobs
- hidden obstacles to setting up a company in another EU country
- pensioners losing out because of poor social security coordination.

Ireland’s role as both an emigrant and immigrant nation was highlighted in the case studies. Irish woman Eve Geddie, who migrated to Brussels after graduating with a European Masters in Human Rights, said she was treated with disrespect by officials there, and her residence card was delayed, without which employment agencies refused to register her. In this catch-22 situation, she ran out of money and and was not able to get clear information about benefits to which she might be entitled.

Two Polish women and a Czech man recounted their experiences of working in Ireland. Agata Szarek found a job easily but she experienced discrimination as an employee; she has since started her own business and also interprets for the local Polish community. Through her interpreting duties she has realised the obstacles faced by many, including employer abuse and the language barrier. Meanwhile, Joanna Kasztelan recounted her experience working as a cleaning lady in a bakery. She was forced to carry heavy objects and work extra hours without pay, and was insulted by colleagues. When she found a new job her old employer threatened to withhold her outstanding salary. Ondrej Manda from the Czech Republic, a university graduate, was unable to find a job corresponding to his level of education and could only find work in a factory.

The report made a number of recommendations:
- a strong commitment to close the gap between EU Treaty provisions and practice on the ground
- the creation of a single information source on legal and practical information for citizens and officials
- training, resources and interpretation services for first-contact officials
- exploring the possibility of job centres the ability to check the credibility of job offers and inform people of their EU rights
- exploring the possibility of a personalised number to make it easier for citizens to switch social security and tax systems.

A full report on the event will be published shortly. Case studies and further information on the event are available on the ECAS website.