Romanians living in Spain "will be able to obtain dual citizenship by the end of this year"

More than 1.000.000 Romanians living in Spain will be able to obtain dual citizenship by the end of this year, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced after talks with his Madrid counterpart Pedro Sanchez yesterday at the Victoria Palace. The Romanian Prime Minister also said that Romania has Spain's support to obtain a representative portfolio in the future European Commission.

The timetable for implementing the agreement on dual citizenship for Romanians residing in Spain was the main topic of discussion. The Romanian Prime Minister gave assurances that the measure will enter into force by the end of the year. Romania would thus become the third European country, after France and Portugal, to conclude an agreement with Spain on dual citizenship for residents.

Marcel Ciolacu: The agreement is currently with the Spanish justice minister. By the end of the year, we will no longer have visas for the United States, we will have dual citizenship in Spain and, in my view, we will most certainly join Schengen.

During the meeting, the head of the executive in Bucharest conveyed the intention of the Romanian side to host a joint meeting of the two governments, including to strengthen bilateral relations in the field of education, on the agreement on the establishment and operation of Romanian-Spanish bilingual sections and the organization of bilingual baccalaureate exams in Romanian high schools, but also in the field of home affairs, with a focus on combating human trafficking and in the field of defense.

Translated by: Radu Matei