Am I a member of the European Union?

When I consider what it means to be a European citizen, I have to look at it from two different angles to be able to give a complete answer. This stems from the fact that being a member of the European Union on paper is different - to me as an individual - to what it means in practice.

Though my driving licence and passport displays the fact that I am a member of the European Union, it isn't something that I take into consideration or even notice unless considering either document closely.

However, this relates to a situation where being a member of the European Union has made a difference.

I do believe that being a member of the European Union has made it easier to travel around Europe, and probably easier to work in other member countries too. This ability is beneficial as I would imagine living and working in another country would take much organisation otherwise. But, it is only beneficial to those people who want to take advantage of it and does not mean much to those who are content to stay where they are.

On the other side, even if I choose not to travel to other European countries, I still benefit from the ability to travel easily within Europe. I can stay in Britain and still get to meet citizens of other European countries who have decided to travel to Britain. Being a member of the European Union creates a greater opportunity to interact with people from other European countries.

This is great as it not only allows me to learn aspects of other languages, but also about features of other countries to help me decided on future travel plans.

Having an interest in current affairs and politics offers the greatest opportunity to determine what being a European citizen really means. In some cases, this doesn't have any direct affect on me either, but it allows me to gain knowledge and, at the very least, form an opinion.

For example, what can be considered human rights that are due to prisoners has been regulated by Europe.