The European Union and new dimensions of citizenship

The European integration process raises interesting challenges to the conceptualization and the exercise of citizenship in a multinational cosmopolitan context. Certainly, the current institutional architecture of the European Union (EU) faces tough criticism. On the one hand, anti-European parties and Euro-skeptics, by means of Euro-exit initiatives and on nationalist grounds, challenge the very existence of the European integration project. On the other hand, federalist and pro-European intellectuals often complain that the EU has not gone far enough with respect to the democratic, the civic and/or the social integration of the Union. In spite of such criticism, the European integration process has given rise to a novel and singular form of citizenship: the so-called dual form of citizenship. The European dual form of citizenship entails a combination of national and supranational civic membership. EU citizenship –which is automatically conferred on every EU citizen by the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU–, does not replace, but complements national citizenship. In this regard, it implies the automatic expansion and improvement of citizens’ rights and opportunities –for example, the right to vote and stand as a candidate in municipal and European Parliament elections and the right to move and reside freely within the EU–. Moreover, EU treaties (now including the Chapter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, legally binding on the supranational institutions and on national governments since 1 December 2009) and institutions such as the Court of Justice of the European Union, contribute to the enhancement of the legal and judicial mechanisms for the protection of basic rights. In spite of these benefits and achievements, the democratic shortcomings of the EU’s decision-making architecture encourage citizens’ distrust of the EU. In addition, one basic goal and achievement of the European integration project, which is citizens’ mobility within the EU, is facing serious setbacks. Indeed, the Schengen Agreements allow for exceptions which are too easily employed by the member states in order strengthen their borders controls and restrict intra-European mobility; which has just intensified as a consequence of the economic crisis, and more recently, the “refugees crisis”. The focus of my paper is on the conceptual challenge that the European integration project raises to the modern idea of citizenship. One of the basic conditions for the exercise of the democratic citizenship has traditionally been national membership. Yet, this has just been challenged by the European integration process and the dual form of citizenship that it has guaranteed. In Section 08, of the ECPR General Conference, I would like to address the conceptual implications of EU citizenship.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Generalized Magnetofluid Connections in Relativistic Magnetohydrodynamics

The concept of magnetic connections is extended to non-ideal relativistic magnetohydrodynamical plasmas. Adopting a general set of equations for relativistic magnetohydrodynamics including thermal-inertial, thermal electromotive, Hall and current-inertia effects, we derive a new covariant connection equation showing the existence of generalized magnetofluid connections that are preserved during the dissipationless plasma dynamics. These connections are intimately linked to a general antisymmetric tensor that unifies the electromagnetic and fluid fields, allowing the extension of the magnetic connection notion to a much broader concept.Comment: Accepted for publication in Physical Review Letter

Can gravitation accelerate neutrinos?

The Lagrangian equations of motion for massive spinning test particles (tops) moving on a gravitational background using General Relativity are presented. The paths followed by tops are nongeodesic. An exact solution for the motion of tops on a Schwarzschild background which allows for superluminal propagation of tops is studied. It is shown that the solution becomes relevant for particles with small masses, such as neutrinos. This general result is used to calculate the necessary condition to produce superluminal motion in part of the trajectory of a small mass particle in a weak gravitational field. The condition for superluminal motion establishes a relation between the mass, energy and total angular momentum of the particle.Comment: 7 pages, accepted in Class. Quantum Gra