Portuguese President António José Seguro on Sunday signed into law a bill that will double the amount of time needed for foreigners to be granted citizenship.
A large influx of migration over recent years now means that about 15% of the country’s population was born abroad. Even mainstream news agencies have drawn attention to the way this has “strained [Portugal’s] housing, healthcare, and public services.”
Argentine-Spanish businessman Martin Varsavsky said the law, which passed through parliament last year, was a sign that “Europe is rediscovering that citizenship is not a timestamp.”
It is a contract: language, work, law, taxes and loyalty. If the welfare state has limits, membership has to mean something.
Dutch politician Rob Roos on Monday also called on his country’s deputy prime minister and migration minister, Bart van den Brink, to take note of these “actually very simple” requirements.
Participating economically, socially, and culturally AND speaking the language. Only then a citizenship. Fair deal. The Dutch passport is a privilege, not a right!
Italy’s Giorgia Meloni announced on the same day that the leaders of 33 countries have agreed to “strengthen coordination on multiple fronts” with regards to migration, in light of “significant population displacements in Sudan, the Horn of Africa, and the entire Middle East.” She said this will include the sharing of information, intensified dialogue with countries of origin and transit, and, perhaps most importantly, “effective agreements for returns.”
Portugal’s new law extends the period required for most migrants to obtain citizenship from five to up to 10 years. Seguro on Sunday said he hoped the legislation would not impact currently pending applications.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
