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The aim of this article is to demonstrate how European citizenship, which is granted to all nationals of the EU Member States, gives a fresh impetus for a debate on the fundamental rights of elderly people in need of long-term care. First, elderly people in need of long term care are entitled, like any other EU citizen, to move and reside in all EU Member States under certain conditions linked to their income and access to health care provisions. Moreover, the EU tries to promote a new paradigm based on UN conventions regarding the participation of handicapped people in public affairs. Elderly people in need of long term-care must have equal rights and society must adapt to their special needs. The article concludes by giving an example, the European Charter of the rights and the responsibilities of older people in need of long-term care and assistance, showing how EU NGOs are adopting this paradigm and are implementing it through multi-level governance.