Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, initiates setting up a working group to enhance the laws on citizenship, and suggests that the President of Ukraine issue a respective decree.
It is stated in the letter of Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, to Viktor Yanukovych, President of Ukraine.
The Head of the Parliament stated that domestic laws of several Central European countries had recently been amended to simplify the procedure for acquiring citizenship by the persons with ethnic origin from these countries who are residing abroad.
According to V.Lytvyn, these amendments to the laws on citizenship have created tension in the political relations between the countries of the region, as "several neighbouring countries of Ukraine obviously follow the policy of promotion of their citizenship and acquisition of dual citizenship."
V.Lytvyn stressed that from the legal point of view, dual citizenship acquired on the basis of nationality in particular ethnic groups of Ukraine violates clause 4 of the Constitution of Ukraine. "However, the Law of Ukraine "On Citizenship of Ukraine" does not directly prohibit the Ukrainian citizens to acquire foreign citizenship, and does not envisage any penalties for it. Moreover, it lacks the mechanism of registering the citizens of Ukraine who acquired citizenship of other countries," the letter reads.
V.Lytvyn stated that several bills on regulation of dual citizenship had been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the Sixth Convocation.
He stressed that dual citizenship requires comprehensive and systemic regulation, as well as consolidation of legislative and executive authorities, and the institute of the President of Ukraine in part of amending the applicable laws on citizenship. "It is necessary to set a clear-cut and efficient procedure of terminating the citizenship of Ukraine due to acquisition of the foreign citizenship, and delineate legal statuses of the citizens of Ukraine and persons who acquired foreign citizenship being the citizens of Ukraine. Finally, the citizens of Ukraine willing to acquire foreign citizenship should realize social, economic and legal consequences of the loss of a legal status of Ukrainian citizen," V.Lytvyn stated.
To settle these issues and to draft respective legislative initiatives, V. Lytvyn deems necessary to set up working groups to improve citizenship legislation involving representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Verkhovna Rada and other state bodies responsible for the state policy in legislative sphere, scholars, and leading experts on citizenship.
Given that the Constitution of Ukraine refers the matters of national security and citizenship to the authorities of the President of Ukraine, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada suggests setting up a working group to improve the law on citizenship, and adopt a respective decision by the special order of the President of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, sent a similar letter to Mykola Azarov, Prime Minister of Ukraine.