4th April 2012: Andrew Brons has received an answer to his Question to the Commission Requiring a  Written Answer on UK citizens being able to renounce their EU citizenship.

Question:

How may UK citizens renounce their citizenship of the European Union?
Does the Commission agree that a simple renunciation to the relevant department of the Commission from a UK citizen would be sufficient?
If the Commission seeks to thwart such a renunciation by UK citizens, which would embrace the obligations and privileges that it considers are conferred on UK citizens, will it explain the reason?

Answer:

An answer was provided by Viviane Reding, the Vice-President and Commissioner responsible for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship on behalf of the Commission.

"According to European law (Artice 20 TFEU), every person holding the nationality of a Member State shall automatically be a citizen of the Union.
Citizenship of the Union is additional to and does not replace national citizenship.
As citizenship of the Union does not exist independently from citizenship of a Member State, it cannot be acquired nor renounced upon independently from national citizenship."