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The draft law will allow
some 250,000 children who
have been born in the
country to migrant parents
to call themselves Greek
Greece is set to enact groundbreaking
legislation that will give
second-generation immigrants
the right to claim Greek citizenship
and to vote in the country’s elections.
On Tuesday, December 22, the
Cabinet approved a draft law that
will allow some 250,000 children
who have been born in the country
to migrant parents to call
themselves Greek.
Under the proposed law, which
has now entered a period of public
consultation, if one of the
child’s parents has been living
legally in Greece for at least five
successive years, then their son or
daughter will be eligible to claim
citizenship.
This right will also be extended
to children who have attended the
first three years of primary school
in Greece or have studied at Greek
schools for a total of six years.
The Interior Ministry estimates
that if the law is passed before next
year’s local elections, then 150,000
second-generation immigrants
will be over the age of 18 and eligible
to vote in the polls, should
they take up citizenship.
The bill also proposes that foreigners
lawfully living and working
in Greece for five successive
years may be naturalized, allowing
them to vote and run in localelections but not general elections.
Citizens’ Protection Minister
Michalis Chrysochoidis said that
police have already been instructed
not to arrest or deport second-
generation immigrants over
paperwork discrepancies.
New Democracy accused the
government of ignoring the significance
of awarding someone citizenship,
while the nationalist
Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) accused
PASOK of “distorting the
electoral body.”
According to recent European
Union statistics, there are just over
900,000 immigrants in Greece,
making up 8.1 percent of the country’s population.
The draft law will allow
some 250,000 children who
have been born in the
country to migrant parents
to call themselves Greek
Greece is set to enact groundbreaking
legislation that will give
second-generation immigrants
the right to claim Greek citizenship
and to vote in the country’s elections.
On Tuesday, December 22, the
Cabinet approved a draft law that
will allow some 250,000 children
who have been born in the country
to migrant parents to call
themselves Greek.
Under the proposed law, which
has now entered a period of public
consultation, if one of the
child’s parents has been living
legally in Greece for at least five
successive years, then their son or
daughter will be eligible to claim
citizenship.
This right will also be extended
to children who have attended the
first three years of primary school
in Greece or have studied at Greek
schools for a total of six years.
The Interior Ministry estimates
that if the law is passed before next
year’s local elections, then 150,000
second-generation immigrants
will be over the age of 18 and eligible
to vote in the polls, should
they take up citizenship.
The bill also proposes that foreigners
lawfully living and working
in Greece for five successive
years may be naturalized, allowing
them to vote and run in localelections but not general elections.
Citizens’ Protection Minister
Michalis Chrysochoidis said that
police have already been instructed
not to arrest or deport second-
generation immigrants over
paperwork discrepancies.
New Democracy accused the
government of ignoring the significance
of awarding someone citizenship,
while the nationalist
Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) accused
PASOK of “distorting the
electoral body.”
According to recent European
Union statistics, there are just over
900,000 immigrants in Greece,
making up 8.1 percent of the country’s population.
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