By EUDO CITIZENSHIP expert, Eva Ersbøll

The Danish centre-left government, replacing the former Liberal-Conservative government, has in its government platform of October 2011 announced  that the Danish citizenship legislation and practice will be amended. Safeguards for applicants for citizenship will be strengthened, and requirements for citizenship will be adopted by an Act rather than by changing political agreements. Furthermore, a number of the material conditions will be softened and dual citizenship will be tolerated.
 
Unfortunately, the many applicants for naturalization who have hopefully awaited the changes still have to curb their impatience a good while. The government has informed parliamentarians that this part of the government platform has not yet been implemented. Applications from applicants who cannot fulfil the existing requirements are rejected. Applicants are, however, at the same time informed that according to the government platform the existing naturalization requirements will be amended. Still, only applications for citizenship which are submitted after the new guidelines enter into force will be handled according to the new guidelines.
 
It appears from an answer of 8 October 2012 to the Nordic Council, which has taken a particular interest in the dual citizenship reform, that the government has set up an interdepartmental working group commissioned to analyse the rules on dual citizenship, including Denmark’s international obligations within this field, with a view to put forward recommendations for the framing of the coming regulation of dual citizenship. It is still too early to say when the working group will have completed its task.

Read the article on The Copenhagen Post.