France facilitates citizenship for COVID-19 frontline workers
French authorities have granted citizenship to approximately 74 “frontline foreign workers in the face of the health crisis” caused by COVID-19, and another 693 are in the final stages.
News
Belarus changes its citizenship law
On 10 December 2020, the Parliament of Belarus approved changes to the country’s citizenship legislation, to become effective six months after the amendments’ publication in the country’s Official Gazette. Amendments affect the modes of acquisition and loss of citizenship of Belarus.
Dual citizenship agreement between France and Spain
On 24 November 2020, France and Spain signed a dual citizenship agreement. Upon the entry into force of the agreement, French citizens naturalising in Spain will no longer be required to renounce their nationality.
Webinar: Access to Citizenship in the Global South
We want to build on the insights from our last forum debate in a webinar that looks into the broader question of how important access to citizenship is in the global South compared to other legal statuses and documents, such as birth certificates or permanent residence permits.
Norwegian citizenship gains popularity, but the pandemic slows the application process
On January 1 2020, Norway followed its Nordic neighbours and allowed for dual citizenship. The law change led to a massive increase in the number of citizenship applications: 30.000 applications were submitted during the first six months of the year. By contrast, the number of applications have remained stable at around 20.000 annually, from 2014 to 2019.
Webinar on Citizenship and Populism
The webinar Citizenship and Populism: a Twenty-First Century Challenge across the Globe will draw on case studies from India, Western Europe, Latin America and elsewhere in order to illuminate engagements between citizenship, democracy and the people.
New page: Webinars
We are delighted to announce the launch of the Webinars page on our website, which brings together the recordings of our 2020-21 series of webinars. The recordings are made available as study and teaching material on topical issues in citizenship studies.
The People in Question at WZB Berlin
On 8 October 2020, Jo Shaw presented her new book, The People in Question, at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. Together with other distinguished scholars she explored the interaction between constitutions and citizenship and their nexus with to stories of peoplehood, collective identities, and borders and boundaries.
Sudan revokes citizenship of thousands of Syrians
According to Erm News and Citizenship Rights in Africa Initiative, the transitional government of Sudan has stripped thousands of naturalised foreigners, including Syrians.
Liechtenstein rejects dual citizenship with EEA/CH in a referendum
In Liechtenstein, a referendum on dual citizenship took place on 30 August 2020, together with the popular vote on questions of gender parity in parliamentary representation, and the railway connection. Dual nationality was rejected by 61.5% of the voters, while 38.5% voted in favor of it.