Romanian representatives for the diaspora part of the reformist center-right party Save Romania Union, or USR, have submitted a legislative initiative granting foreign citizens married to Romanians the right to apply for citizenship even if they do not reside in Romania.

The bill amends the Citizenship Law so that people who are married to and live abroad with Romanian citizens can apply for Romanian citizenship, provided that the marriage has been registered in Romanian civil status records for at least 10 years. 

Currently, the law makes the granting of citizenship conditional on a long period of residence in Romania, without taking into account the situation of spouses who live together outside the country.

"Over the past decades, many Romanians have built families outside the country’s borders, alongside citizens of other states, and the Romanian state has a duty to respect this choice. It is not fair for their spouses to be excluded from the possibility of applying for Romanian citizenship simply because the family’s residence is in another country," said deputy Iulian Lorincz, cited by the party press release.

In turn, senator Cătălin Bochileanu emphasized that the bill does not relax the conditions for granting citizenship, but only removes a requirement that no longer corresponds to current realities.

"We are not granting citizenship more easily, and we are not making compromises regarding the checks. All conditions regarding knowledge of the Romanian language, Romanian culture and civilization, the Constitution, and the national anthem remain in place, as well as administrative and security checks. However, we are giving Romanian families in the Diaspora the chance to be treated fairly and to align Romania’s legislation with practices already existing in many other European countries,” he said.

The idea of such a regulation received the support of a parliamentary majority as early as 2022, when Parliament adopted a bill with the same objective. However, the initiative was declared unconstitutional. The current bill takes into account the observations of the Constitutional Court and corrects the issues that led to the rejection of the previous bill.

New social security rules in EU

Another legislative change impacting Romanians living abroad in Europe was announced on Tuesday, July 7, when the European Parliament approved the revision of the regulation on the coordination of social security systems in the European Union, according to a press release.

The new legislation, previously agreed with the Council of the European Union, was adopted with 511 votes in favour, 87 against, and 61 abstentions, and established clearer criteria for determining the state responsible for paying social benefits. At the same time, it strengthens cooperation between national authorities to combat fraud and abusive practices.

The provisions clarify how periods of employment, self-employment or insurance completed in several member states are taken into account when determining entitlement to unemployment benefits.

People who move to another European Union country to look for a job will be able to continue receiving unemployment benefits from their country of origin for six months, a period that can be extended until the entitlement to this benefit expires.

In the case of cross-border workers, the regulation establishes that benefits will be paid by the state where the person worked if they were employed, self-employed, or insured there continuously for at least 22 weeks.

The legislation also introduces, for the first time at the European level, a definition and a list of long-term care benefits, providing greater clarity for people who need such services and those who provide them. It also more clearly distinguishes family benefits that compensate for loss of income when a parent reduces or suspends their activity to raise a child from other family benefits.

The new rules are also relevant for Romania, given that hundreds of thousands of Romanians live or work in other European Union member states, with many carrying out seasonal work, being posted by Romanian employers or commuting across borders.

According to the European Parliament, approximately 16 million European citizens currently live or work in another European Union member state. Following adoption by the European Parliament, the regulation must be formally approved by the Council of the European Union. Subsequently, the new rules will enter into force and become applicable in all member states.

radu@romania-insider.com

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