Text: Regina F. Narusis, J.D.

 Why is Lithuanian citizenship so important to Lithuanian emigrees ? The reasons why so many emigres posses a desire to regain and to maintain citizenship status with their country of origin are many. First and foremost, citizenship is the most important real tie to their homeland , for which they continue to posses an abiding love and affection. It is a symbol, if not tangible, and marker of one‘s identity throughout the world.

Many emigrees have close and extended family and own property there. They want to participate and contribute to the political development in the present and the future. They visit their homeland often and some plan to return permanently. They express puzzlement about and distress toward any law or policy which denies them their citizenship acquired by birth. They consider that right to be a birth right. They are bewildered that a democratic government would take that right away from them.

Why is it important for Lithuania to maintain its citizenship ties with its emigre population throughout the world ? One obvious reason, especially today in this world wide financial crisis, is an economic one, because emigrants are contributors to the economies of their homeland by sending home large amounts of funds they have earned abroad and investing in their homeland. Another very important reason is that countries with small populations believe their population loss is harmful to the country‘s economic growth and cultural survival, thus they want to encourage the emigre to return. Further, we must accept that the emigre is an effective and indispensible teacher and proponent abraod of the homeland, its history, and culture and whose continued good will must be preserved. Furthermore, the political skills learned by the emigres through political involvement on many levels abroad, have been and can continue to be, marshaled to provide important and sometimes decisive international support for the legitimate needs of the homeland. And finally, returning emigres strengthen the homeland in many, often subtle ways, and constitute an invaluable asset. After all the cost to Lithuania is nothing.
Little reliable date exists on the numbers of persons in the world today having dual citizenship, as it is impossible to verify and lies well beyond the means of the countries to control. Plurality of citizenships nowadays frutrates the initail purpose of nationhood. Most countries today believe that a more liberal attitude towards dual ctitizenship is precisely the way to protect national unity. As a matter of fact, dual citizenship is an unavoidable and widespread phenomenon. Even in countries that have clear policies of not allowing dual or multi citizenship or even strictly pohibit the same, most laws contain multiple exceptions and restrictive policies are not always enforced as written. More and more people have dual citizenship without either country knowing about the other or even being able to find out. Prohibition of dual citizenship is basically uneneforceable.

In the last 10 to 20 years most countries of the European Union have found it important to keep ties with their emigres by making legal provisions for the retention or reacquisition of their citizenship. Much has changed in those years. The dissolution of the Soviet Union which gave rise to the rebirth of independent eastern European nations, the expansion of the nation membership of the European Union and the inexpensive and quick international travel. It takes less time to fly home from Ireland than to drive from Vilnius to Klaipeda in Lithuania.

Regrettably, Lithuania has stepped backwards. On November 13, 2006, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania interpreted its Constitution in such a restrictive manner that it has ruled prospectively no ethnic Lithuanian can hold dual citizenship. For a country as small as Lithuania is, this is risky to its survival in the light of the massive emigration occurring from it. It is a real threat to Lithuania‘s nationhood. Lithuania is operating under a temporary citizenship law that is due to expire at the end of 2010. Majority of the people of Lithuania, as various polls reflect, believe that ethnic Lithuanian emigres shold not loose their Lithuanian citizenship if they have acquired the citizenship of another country. Lithuania‘s Parliament on Novermber 4 of this year enacted legislation, by a great majority, to remedy this situation. The President of Lithuania still has to act on it, which she will need to do this week.

The situation can be remedied in many legal ways, however there has to be a will to do so. Where there is a will there is a way. Article 12 established that citizenship is acquired by birth and Article 18 assures its citizens of their inalienable rights. Article 32 talks of the rights of a citizen to chose his place of residence wherever it may be and everyone who is ethinically Lithuanian has the right to settle in Lithuania. Article 12 does not permit dual citizenship except in“separate circumstances provided by law“. Such legislation is now pending. There is not need for a referendum that is costly and insurmoutable, when the matter can be resolved by various legislative means.