By EUDO-CITIZENSHIP expert Sampo Brander

 

The Minister of Interior Päivi Räsänen announced an inquiry into the conditions of access to dual citizenship and the number of dual citizens currently residing in Finland. According to YLE, the Ministry is in fact exploring ways of “tightening Finland’s criteria for awarding dual citizenship, or even overturning the practice altogether.” YLE further notes that the announcement was made in the wake of a sharp increase in the number of Russian nationals who were granted Finnish citizenship over the past years and rising concerns regarding recent developments in Russia. 

 

Ms Räsänen denied YLE claims, arguing instead that the government did not intend to amend current citizenship laws. She nonetheless admitted that the Ministry would gather information on the numbers and nationalities of dual citizens in Finland and in other countries. The investigation should also examine existing procedures and assess the potential impact of a reform of the current framework.  

 

Subsequently, the President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö announced that he had commissioned a comparative study on dual citizenship legislations, while insisting on the fact that this would not necessarily lead to further discussion on the subject. 

 

 Consult the EUDO-CITIZENSHIP country profile for Finland.