A request for registration of a European Citizens’ Initiative entitled “EU Stars On My Passport (STAR-PASS)” was submitted to the European Commission on 30 September 2025.
Open any passport issued by a Member State of the European Union and, above the name of the country, you will find two familiar words: European Union. For four decades, these words have appeared on the passports of millions of Europeans, symbolizing a citizenship that transcends national borders. Yet the meaning of that citizenship remains largely unknown to many of those who possess it.
Through one of the EU’s newest tools of participatory democracy, the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), a long-standing idea of European integration has resurfaced: that of a common passport. Discussions about a European passport date back to the Paris Summit of December 1974, when the Council of Ministers adopted two non-binding resolutions creating a uniform passport format for citizens of the then European Communities. In 1985, dual national-European passports entered circulation, reinforcing the notion of a shared European
citizenship.
While these passports retained their national issuing authorities and characteristics, they also bore the name of the Union. The STAR PASS initiative
seeks to build on that legacy.
But what exactly is EU citizenship, and why do so many Europeans seem unaware that they possess it?
The idea of a common citizenship is rooted in the freedoms guaranteed by the Single Market. Before the Maastricht Treaty, free movement primarily concerned workers and did not create a broader political status. As European integration deepened, policymakers sought ways to strengthen democratic legitimacy and foster a sense of belonging among citizens.
The Maastricht Treaty introduced European Union citizenship. It granted every national of a Member State the right to move and reside freely within the EU, vote and stand in European and local elections in their country of residence, receive diplomatic protection from other Member States when abroad, petition the European Parliament, and complain to the European Ombudsman.
Article 8 of the treaty defined this status clearly: “Every person holding the nationality of a Member State shall be a citizen of the Union.”
EU citizenship did not replace national citizenship. Rather, it complemented it, creating a dual system in which citizens enjoyed both national and European rights. However, the EU’s ability to protect its citizens remained limited, and concerns persisted about the legal meaning of this new status.
The Treaty of Amsterdam clarified that Union citizenship was complementary to national citizenship and encouraged EU institutions to strengthen the protection of citizens’ interests.
The legal significance of EU citizenship was further developed through the case law of the European Court of Justice. One landmark ruling was Rudy Grzelczyk v Centre public d’aide sociale d’Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve. In paragraph 31, the Court famously stated: “Union citizenship is destined to be the fundamental status of nationals of the Member States.”
Although the dispute concerned social benefits denied to a French student in Belgium, the judgment helped establish EU citizenship as a genuine source of rights rather than a purely symbolic concept.
Further progress came with the Treaty of Lisbon, which made the Charter of Fundamental Rights legally binding and strengthened citizens’ rights. Lisbon also introduced the European Citizens’ Initiative, allowing citizens to request legislative action at EU level if they gather one million verified signatures from at least seven Member States.
In 2023, EU citizenship celebrated its 30th anniversary. The European Commission marked the occasion with the EU Citizenship Package, aimed at
raising awareness of citizens’ rights and strengthening their protection. The STAR PASS initiative should therefore be understood as more than a simple redesign of the familiar burgundy passport. It seeks to make European citizenship more visible and foster a stronger sense of European belonging. The initiative proposes an additional passport cover design available to citizens applying for a new passport. The proposed design would feature a blue cover with the EU’s yellow stars at its center, alongside the necessary references in the national language. It would not replace existing national passports but coexist alongside them.
At the time of writing, the initiative has gathered just under 14,000 signatures. Organizers have until 8 May 2027 to collect the one million signatures required for consideration by the European Commission.
The ECI mechanism itself has faced significant challenges since its introduction in 2012. Of the 131 initiatives registered so far, only 13 have received a formal response from the Commission. Most fail to gather enough signatures, while others are withdrawn or rejected.
Even successful initiatives often struggle to achieve concrete legislative outcomes. The recent “Ban Conversion Therapy” initiative, which collected
around 1.2 million signatures, resulted only in a non-binding recommendation to Member States. Limited political support, treaty constraints, and a weakened civil society environment have all reduced the effectiveness of the instrument. Nevertheless, many observers view the ECI as a valuable agenda-setting tool. It allows citizens to bring issues to the European level and stimulate debate, even when legislative action remains uncertain.
It is no coincidence that STAR PASS signature collection was launched on 8 May, just a day before the Europe Day celebrations. Whether or not it ultimately succeeds, it has already sparked discussion about the meaning of European citizenship and the symbols associated with it.
Yet the debate is not only symbolic. In some respects, the EU already possesses a form of common passport for emergency situations.
EU citizens have the right to seek assistance from the embassy or consulate of many Member State when their own country is not represented in a third country. To support this right, the EU has established a “consular space” through Directive 2015/637 on consular protection and Directive 2019/997 on emergency travel documents.
These rules introduced the concept of the “unrepresented citizen”: an EU citizen whose Member State lacks diplomatic representation or is unable to provide assistance in a particular case.
This system gives practical effect to Articles 20 and 23 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 46 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights. It also demonstrates how solidarity operates in practice. Recent crises have highlighted the value of this cooperation. During the COVID19 pandemic and evacuations from Afghanistan and Sudan, Member States coordinated efforts to assist citizens regardless of nationality. Such actions illustrate the benefits of a shared consular space and the principle of strength
through unity.
In conclusion, this is not merely a design debate; it is a debate about visibility and belonging. The ability of EU citizens to seek assistance from another
Member State’s embassy, travel freely, and benefit from common protections demonstrates that European citizenship is more than a symbolic concept. The STAR PASS initiative therefore seeks not only to redesign a document but also to make a shared citizenship more visible. Whether it succeeds or not, it has already sparked an important discussion about how Europeans perceive their Union and the rights they enjoy through it.
