The Withdrawal Clause of the Lisbon Treaty in the Light of EU Citizenship (Between Disintegration and Integration)

Abstract

On the few occasions on which the withdrawal clause of the Lisbon Treaty has been analysed, the focus has usually been at the level of the nation-state, representing the macro or institutional level. Some commentators have offered suggestions about the impact withdrawal would have on citizens who constitute the micro or individual level. However, the assumption has always been that the macro level exclusively determines, in a one way fashion, the terms and conditions of withdrawal. Yet the argument made in this article goes beyond this (nation) state focused analysis so familiar in international law, and suggests instead that not only the macro level regulates withdrawal but in turn also the micro level, which is a consequence of the existence of EU citizenship. Consequently it will be concluded that the micro and the macro level not only influence but also determine each other.

Keywords: EU, citizenship, withdrawal