Acquisitions of citizenship slightly declining in the EU

This publication presents the latest available data on acquisition of citizenship in the European Union and EFTA countries. Acquisition of citizenship is often viewed as a key indicator of successful integration in the receiving country, as it usually implies a good knowledge of the country's language, culture and society, together with some level of contribution to economic activity in general. The number of people acquiring citizenship in an EU Member State declined for the second consecutive year in 2008 after rising for more than eight years. The decline, roughly 2%, was smaller than that recorded for 2007 (around 4%). The total number of acquisitions recorded in the EU in 2008 was slightly below 700,000. The highest number of acquisitions was recorded in France, the United Kingdom and Germany. These three countries accounted for more than 50% of the EU total. While France recorded a moderate increase compared with 2007, the other two countries granted over 20% fewer citizenships in 2008. As in most recent years, Moroccans and Turks were the main groups who became citizens of an EU Member State with 9% and 7% of the EU total respectively.