The European Union said on Thursday, May 27, that it will not intervene in the dispute between its two members, Slovakia and Hungary, after the latter earlier this week passed an amendment easing the conditions for persons living outside of Hungary to acquire Hungarian citizenship, the TASR newswire reported.
According to European Commission spokesman Matthew Newman, the EU lacks powers that could settle the issue in any way, saying that the EC does not have the power to shape policy vis-a-vis granting, altering or annulling of citizenship and therefore cannot intervene. This area is solely within the legal powers of EU member countries.
“We've noted the case, but the European Commission lacks any citizenship powers and it's up to the member states to choose what they will include in their legislative sytems.The Commission cannot intervene in any case in which countries determine to whom and under which circumstances they grant citizenship,” Newman, the spokesman for minister responsible for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Viviane Reding, told TASR.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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