Justice Ministry dismisses as "speculative" allegation that tapping into EU job market is only motive to apply for Bulgarian citizenship

Sofia, August 15 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Justice Ministry dismissed as "speculative" an allegation that the prospect of tapping into the EU job market is the sole motive of applicants from Macedonia and Moldova for obtaining Bulgarian citizenship.

"In a Bulgarian citizenship acquisition procedure, no concessions whatsoever are made enabling the applicants to go to work in the EU," Deputy Justice Minister Ana Karaivanova said in a position, reacting to an item that appeared in Britain’s "Sunday Telegraph" newspaper on August 13 under the heading "Bulgaria opens back door to the EU with give-away passports bonanza."

The procedure for granting Bulgarian citizenship is regulated in accordance with the Bulgarian Citizenship Act, adopted in 1998. It is consistent with the provisions of the 1991 Constitution, according to which persons of Bulgarian descent acquire Bulgarian citizenship according to a relaxed procedure.

"Each State is duty-bound to protect the persons of its own ethnic origin, which is why I do not think it is reprehensible to accept citizens of Macedonia and Bessarabian Bulgarians who are of Bulgarian decent or who emigrated from Bulgaria some time ago but retained their traditions and language," Karaivanova noted. She emphasized that the law provides for sufficeint barriers and guarantees against possible attempts to abuse this procedure.

"Thus, along with documents proving Bulgarian descent, applicants are required to submit a conviction status certificate, as well as a document showing that the applicants are not standing trial or under investigation at the date of submission of an application for Bulgarian citizenship. The procedure goes through a fine-tooth comb check at the competent Interior Ministry services," the Deputy Minister notes. "Persons who present a risk to national security, public order or public health are denied Bulgarian citizenship even without stating reasons."

Interest in obtaining Bulgarian citizenship has intensified since 2001, the Justice Ministry position says. Nearly 23,500 persons of proven Bulgarian descent have received Bulgarian citizenship over the last five years. They have all been very thoroughly vetted, the Ministry says.

"Our responsible handling of the matter of granting Bulgarian citizenship finds expression, among other things, in the fact that checks have been rigorized despite the increased number of applications submitted," Karaivanova notes. She adds that quite a few persons who apply are children of mixed marriages between Bulgarians and citizens mainly of the former Soviet republics, Poland, Slovakia and other countries which until recently did not allow dual nationality, which is why those persons had opted for the other citizenship.

"The allegation that the increased interest in obtaining Bulgarian citizenship is prompted only by the applicants’ intention to seek a job in the EU countries. Quite a few of the applicants wish to settle and live in Bulgaria."

BTA