EU wants Romania to restrict the Citizenship Law for Moldovans

The EU special representative for Moldova, Kalman Mizsei told reporters in Bucharest on Tuesday, July 10, that the large number of Moldovans applying for the Romanian citizenship is alarming both for Chisinau and Brussels, which wants Romania to reform the Citizenship Law in order to make it more restrictive. According to NewsIn portal, “The official Chisinau does not want to see it citizens massively applying for the Romanian citizenship to reach the EU. On the other hand, Brussels wants Romania to reform the Law on citizenship so as to limit the grounds for providing citizenship. Brussels is concerned about the possibility of granting the citizenship to a higher number of citizens outside the EU”, Mizsei said. The EU representative for Moldova believes that Romania should reform the law so that it meets both the concerns of Moldovans and the EU. “Romania has sometimes the attitude of a bigger and richer brother towards Moldova (…), it should refrain from displaying such an attitude to eliminate the fears of Chisinau”, Miszei explained. “This does not help”, the European official said. “You should be empathic, but not superior, you should treat them equally”, he advised the Romanians. It is normal when neighbours have different opinions, but they should be settled by intensifying the dialogue. It is import for Romania to understand and support the wishes of Chisinau. Moldova is a much smaller state and waits for Romania to help it, Miszei believes. He drew attention to the fact that there are a series of concerning issues for Chisinau, such as the Border agreement and the basic treaty, as well the fact that Romania grants Romanian citizenship to the citizens of Moldova. In this respect, Romania should display good will in the discussions with Moldova, Miszei said.