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Tag: dual citizenship

  • Dual citizenship for Romanians living in Spain

    Dual citizenship for Romanians living in Spain

    Spain is one of the European states that do not allow dual citizenship, with two exceptions: France and Portugal. So, if Romanian citizens wish to get Spanish nationality they must meet a number of conditions, the most important of which is giving up their Romanian citizenship, which has so far deterred many from applying for a Spanish passport. The Romanian community is Spain’s second largest after the Moroccan community, numbering 629,000 official residents but being estimated at over one million according to unofficial numbers.

     

    At a meeting in November 2022 in the Mediterranean town of Castellón de la Plana, the Spanish and Romanian governments agreed to make dual citizenship possible for Romanian nationals living in Spain. The news has been received with hope and joy by the members of the Romanian community in this country, as dual citizenship is something they have wanted and for which they have lobbied for a long time. So, apart from other concrete advantages, Romanians seeking Spanish citizenship will no longer have to give up their Romanian nationality. They will also be able to have access to jobs and positions in the police force, the army and the administration and to travel to the Unites States visa-free.

     

    This will be implemented this year, according to the speaker of the Romanian Senate Nicolae Ciucă, who met his Spanish counterpart during an official trip to Spain: “The visit to Spain began with a meeting with my counterpart Pedro Rollan Ojeda, our talks focusing on the importance of parliamentary diplomacy for the bilateral relationship between our countries. Together we can identify common solutions to the problems of the two societies, improving political, commercial and cultural ties. I was impressed by how warmly the speaker of the Spanish Senate has spoken about the Romanians living here”, the Romanian official said in a social media post, and added: “the Romanian community in Spain has vast working experience, is a highly qualified resource and has a western mentality”.

     

    The wording of the agreement between the two countries on dual citizenship has already been approved by both sides, according to government sources, and the document is to be signed soon, during a forthcoming trip to Romania by the Spanish prime minister.

  • February 20, 2024

    February 20, 2024

    VISIT The Romanian Senate Speaker, Nicolae Ciucă, who is on an official visit to Madrid, has talks scheduled today with the head of the People’s Party in Spain, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, and the secretary general for defence policy, Juan Francisco Martinez Nunez. Mr. Ciucǎ will also have a meeting with the Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Spain and Portugal, Timotei. On Monday, after the meeting with his counterpart, Pedro Rollan Ojeda, Nicolae Ciuca announced that the Romanians living in Spain may hold dual citizenship as of this year.

     

    ELECTIONS The leaders of the Social Democratic Party and National Liberal Party in Romania’s ruling coalition are meeting again on Wednesday to decide on whether to merge this year’s elections, after the talks so far have failed. The Liberals want the local elections to take place this summer concurrently with the elections for the European Parliament, while the Social Democrats want the parliamentary elections due this autumn to be held jointly with the second round of the presidential election. Save Romania Union, in opposition, threatened to take any legislation merging the elections to the Constitutional Court. This year all 4 types of elections are scheduled in Romania (local, parliamentary, and presidential ballots, and elections for the EP).

     

    HEALTH Some 3.3 million sick leaves were given in Romania last year, which is significantly below the over 4 million reported in 2022. Most sick leaves were taken by cancer patients and pregnant women. The head of the National Health Insurance Agency, Valeria Herdea, says this is not about the number of sick leave days taken by people, but about the fact that many citizens have health problems. Recently, the government has issued an order introducing a 10% tax on sick leave allowances. The authorities argued this was to discourage the practice of taking sick leaves for minor health problems. But the order triggered discontent especially among cancer patients. The Senate withdrew the provision, and the order is to be discussed next in the Chamber of Deputies.

     

    AUTOMOTIVE The Romanian automotive market will likely see a moderate 5% growth this year, the Romanian Automobile Producers and Importers Association (APIA) announced. The Association expects EV sales to continue to increase, and sales of diesel vehicles to drop in 2024.

     

    MISSION The European Union has launched its own naval mission to protect commercial vessels in the Red Sea. Romania may also take part in the mission. Greece will provide a commander for its operational headquarters, while Italy will provide the force commander. According to the Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani, since November Houthi rebels have been attacking commercial vessels on this route, allegedly in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza.

     

    TABLE TENNIS Romania’s men’s team have qualified in the round of 32 of the world table tennis championships in Busan, South Korea, after defeating Iran, 3-1 on Tuesday. On Monday, Romania’s women’s team went straight into the eighth-finals. Taking part in the men’s and women’s competition in South Korea are 40 teams. The top 8 teams at the World Championships are qualified in this year’s Olympic Games in Paris. (AMP)