The Serbian authorities have suspended an initiative to simplify the procedure for issuing citizenship to Russians and other foreigners who have lived in the country for only one year. According to information Financial Times (FT), the decision came after the European Commission (EC) warned Belgrade that making it easier to obtain passports could lead to the abolition of Serbia’s visa-free regime with the European Union.
In March, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia presented billwhich were proposed to simplify the process of obtaining citizenship by foreigners. According to the current legislation, to obtain a Serbian passport, you must live in the territory of the state for three years, and also withdraw from your previous citizenship. The bill proposed to allow foreigners who lived in Serbia for a year on a residence permit and officially worked in a Serbian company or “carried out independent activities” to apply for citizenship.
However, the European Commission warned that if the bill is passed, the visa-free regime with Serbia could be suspended “in order to prevent and mitigate possible security risks for the EU.” The EC statement, cited by the FT, emphasizes that European authorities last year gave “clear recommendations” to Serbia “to refuse or refrain from accepting citizenship by investment schemes.”
A Serbian government adviser told the publication that the simplified citizenship bill was “just a proposal” that was not passed. According to experts interviewed by the FT, the Serbian government is likely to withdraw the bill due to pressure from the European Commission. The co-director of the Global Citizenship Observatory, Jelena Jankic, pointed out that it took a lot of effort for Serbia to achieve a visa-free regime with the European Union in 2009.
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2023-05-11 07:51:16
