Analytics, Baltic States – CIS, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Society

In 2013, Lithuania granted citizenship to 185 people, 3% of them were citizens of another EU Member State, while 97% where non-EU citizens. 40% of recipients of Lithuanian citizenship were stateless persons, 15.7% were citizens of Russia and 14.1% were citizens of Ukraine.

The largest groups acquiring citizenship of an EU Member State in 2013 were citizens of Morocco (86,500 persons, of which 84% acquired citizenship of Spain, Italy or France), India (48,300, three-quarters acquired British citizenship), Turkey (46,500, 60% acquired German citizenship), Colombia (42,000, 93% acquired Spanish citizenship), Albania (41,700, 95% acquired citizenship of Greece or Italy) and Ecuador (40,400, 95% acquired Spanish citizenship). Moroccans, Indians, Turks, Colombians, Albanians and Ecuadorians represented together almost a third (31%) of the total number of persons who acquired EU citizenship in 2013. Romanians (23,000 persons) and Poles (18,000) were the two largest groups of EU citizens acquiring citizenship of another EU Member State.

In twelve EU Member States, at least 9 persons out of every 10 who obtained citizenship in 2013 were citizens of a non-EU country: Estonia (100%), Latvia and Romania (both 99%), Greece and Lithuania (both 97%), Spain and Portugal (both 96%), Bulgaria (94%), Ireland and Italy (both 93%), the United Kingdom (91%) and Croatia (90%).

In contrast, Luxembourg (81%) and Hungary (80%) were the only Member States where the majority of persons acquiring citizenship in 2013 were citizens of another EU Member State. At EU level, 89% (or 871,300 new citizens) of those granted citizenship were citizens of a non-EU country, and 10% (98,500) of another EU Member State.