A new discussion about dual citizenship has been reopened in the Lithuanian parliament.  On 1 June the parliament decided to extend the dual nationality to those Lithuanians who emigrated from Lithuania after 11 March 1990, providing that they are citizens of the NATO and European Union countries.  However, the parliament will have to agree on the final proposal later.

The issue of  dual Citizenship was taken up in the autumn of 2006, after the Constitutional Court of Lithuania found that the Constitution provides for dual citizenship in rare exceptions.  According to the Constitution’s Article 12 “Citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania shall be acquired by birth and other grounds established by law.  With the exception of individual cases provided for by law, no one may be a citizen of both the Republic of Lithuania and another state at the same time.”  Hence, upon becoming citizens of their country of residence, they automatically lose their Lithuanian passport.

However, parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs has prepared a new draft legislation to the Citizenship Law.  The proposals allow the retention of Lithuanian citizenship for those Lithuanians who  left Lithuania after the regaining of Independence, and are citizens of a country of NATO and the European Union.  Furthermore, some of the parliamentarians suggested extending dual citizenship to those Lithuanians who reside in countries that border with Lithuania.  In this case Belorussia’s and Russia’s ethnic Lithuanians could expect the Lithuanian passport.

After approving the new version of the law, the parliamentarians are planning to instantly ask the Constitutional Court for an explanation of its compliance with the Lithuania’s Constitution.