“Romanian Workers in France and European Citizenship: A Monographic Study of the Difficulties of Electoral Participation in the Country of Residence”

This article examines the obstacles to electoral participation faced by Romanians in France. Despite their status as European citizens, only seven per cent of Romanians are registered on municipal electoral rolls, compared to an average of twenty-seven per cent for Europeans as a whole. The ethnographic study conducted in a rural French commune, shows that this low turnout can be explained by several factors, including recent and precarious integration (arduous jobs, substandard housing, mistrust of the local population), an inherited civic culture (disaffection with politics, mistrust of institutions, and the transposition of Romanian practices).  Community compartmentalization also limits interactions with the host society. The study reveals a utilitarian approach to politics, with priorities such as employment, housing, and health taking precedence over electoral engagement, which is perceived as ineffective. Finally, the low number of community organizations or mobilizing figures fosters self-exclusion. As a result, European citizenship is often reduced to freedom of movement rather than political participation.