The problem of dual citizenship for ethnic minorities in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

The article analyzes the issue of dual citizenship for ethnic minorities in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, many Central and Eastern European countries grant preferential access to citizenship on an ethnic basis, due to regional demographic indicators, in particular, decline in birth rates, high emigration and changes in the ethnic structure of modern states. On one side, the problem of dual citizenship is an important component of international and national law, on the other – it is an essential element of intergovernmental relations policy which affects national and international security. Ethnic citizenship is viewed by many governments as an important factor in ethno-demographic consolidation, but it can also have unforeseen consequences when co-eternity is used by some individuals for personal gain (receiving benefits, welfare, etc.). It is noted that ethnic groups form a significant part of the population of individual states which have a common history of border relations. The question of dual citizenship in Ukraine is especially relevant for ethnic Hungarians and Romanians in Zakarpattya, Bukovina, Odessa region and Russians in the Crimea. We came to the conclusion that many Ukrainians try to use this case as an additional occasion for work, study and freedom of movement. This situ- ation has led to the spreading of the problem of hidden dual citizenship in certain Ukrainian regions – Crimea, Zakarpattya, Bukovina and destabilization in the socio-political sphere with the transition to threats of the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The study showed that in case of legalization of equivalent dual citizenship, its carriers face the regulations and requirements of two politico-legal systems which often contradict each other. It is stated that there are no generally accepted rules – each country has its own traditions, migration law, citizenship laws. The authors tried to point out both positive and negative sides of proliferation of dual citizenship, in particular, the intensification of interstate relations (Ukraine-Hungary, Hungary-Slovakia, Ukraine-Romania) and stress on controversial and ambiguous aspects of this problem.