Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Legislation

Foreign minister raised the issue at the government meeting because the issue has repeatedly emerged in Estonia's foreign representations.

Namely the Constitution states that no one can be deprived of Estonian citizenship acquired by birth, but according to the citizenship law, a person who has acquired the citizenship of some other state too by birth, in addition to the Estonian citizenship, has to give up one citizenship when getting 18 years old. The first generation of these people become adults next year.

"I think that the clearest solution could be that if a person has Estonian citizenship by birth, he will keep it in any case, even when he has some other state's citizenship by birth, which comes from the origin of his mother or father or grandparents," said Paet.

Paet added that the majority of EU states accept double citizenship gained by birth and in Estonia it would not concern people who have acquired citizenship by naturalisation since that has been people's free will.

The interior ministry has to compile an analysis by autumn to solve the legal conflict before April 1 next year when the first generation of people whom the law provision concerns get 18 years old. Initially there are a few thousands of such people.