More Than Thirty-four Thousand People Acquire Greek Citizenship in 2017

SManalysis


By Nick Kampouris -Mar 6, 2019

    Greek Reporter 



A total of 34,305 people acquired Greek citizenship in 2017, an increase of three percent compared to 2016, according to Eurostat’s latest figures, which were published on Wednesday.

Approximately 825,000 people acquired European Union citizenship by applying in one of its member-states in the year 2017. This figure is down from a high of 995,000 in 2016 and 841,000 in 2015.

The vast majority of those who acquired Greek citizenship were Albanian nationals.

More specifically, 86.8 percent were Albanians, 1.3 percent were Ukrainians and 1.1 percent were from Moldova.

Of the total number of those obtaining European citizenship in 2017, the vast majority were either non-EU citizens or stateless persons, such as refugees.

The largest group acquiring citizenship in an EU member-state were citizens from Morocco, followed by citizens from the countries of Albania, India, Turkey, Pakistan and Brazil.

More specifically, 97 percent of the Albanians who obtained EU citizenship, applied either in Greece or in Italy.

Romanians comprised the majority of EU citizens who acquired citizenship in another EU member state in 2017, with a total of 25,000 of its citizens opting to become citizens elsewhere in the EU. A total of 22,000 Poles and 15,000 Britons acquired citizenship elsewhere in the EU.

European citizenship was granted to the citizens of EU member states by the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, granting them the right to free movement, settlement and employment across the EU.

With information from A.M.N.A.