關於全球化下「公民身份」的重要性，學者提出不同的看法。「歐盟公民」與「非歐盟公民」的分野提供了一個檢視不同理論的切入點。本文藉著分析歐盟內部「歐盟公民」與「非歐盟公民」所享權利之差異來檢視全球化下公民概念發展趨勢與歐盟公民概念之發展。一個「非歐盟公民」要如何成為「歐盟公民」？一位「非歐盟公民」所享之政治、社會權與「歐盟公民」有何差異？這些差異有什麼樣的意義以及重要性﹖在回答了這些問題後，文章在結論指出，「歐盟公民」與「非歐盟公民」之分野或許反而導致始料未及的效果。歐盟為改善二者之間不平等的待遇，在未來可能採納「在地公民」的邏輯，允許「歐盟公民」與「會員國公民」脫鉤。而「在地公民」的邏輯亦將在全球化下公民概念的演進中扮演重要的角色。

Scholarly debate on the concept of citizenship under globalization has centered on the importance of the “citizenship status”. Some argue that the importance of citizenship has been diluted by the emergence of transnational human rights discourse, while others note the nation state’s continual efforts to clearly define EU citizens and non-EU citizens. This article analyzes the developing concept of citizenship under globalization through an examination of the differences in the rights of EU citizens and of Third Country Nationals (TCNs) living in the European Union. How does a TCN become a European citizen? How do the political and social rights of a TCN differ from those of an EU citizen? What are the implications of these differences? After answering each of these questions, the article concludes that, surprisingly, the differences between the rights of TCNs and EU citizens may result in an increased acceptance of the concept of “local citizenship”, allowing for future disassociation of EU citizenship from the national citizenship of member states. Moreover, the concept of local citizenship is likely to feature prominently in the ongoing evolution of the new concept of citizenship in a globalized world.