Nationality law

Every Wednesday, a 60-year-old man identified only by his initials - P.S. - attends a Greek language class in Tel Aviv. No one was surprised to see him take up the lessons, given the fact that P.S., who retired six months ago, is half-Greek.

"I started the process to acquire Greek citizenship 12 years ago," P.S. told Kathimerini in a recent interview.

''Once the border was blocked by the representatives of certain political parties in Bulgaria, the Prime Minister called an emergency meeting at which it was decided unanimously that the law must be respected''. This was announced by the Chief Prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov, according to Focus News.

Another two Turkish citizens have been banned from entering Bulgaria, announced State Agency National Security (DANS).

One of them has been evicted from Bulgaria and imposed a ban of 5 years to enter the country since he carried out activities which threatened national security.

A Turkish citizen posing a threat to national security has been revoked the right to enter and reside in Bulgaria, announced the press centre of the Interior Ministry.

The restriction was imposed by State Agency National Security (DANS) after evidence was collected that the foreigner is posing a threat.

European countries have the right to revoke the citizenship of persons suspected of terrorism in order to prevent them from re-entering the country.

This is the ruling of the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) on a case initiated against Great Britain by a Sudanese person with dual citizenship. The decision was final and unanimous.

The Justice Ministry of Bulgaria is drafting new rules that, if further approved, would tighten the requirements needed to obtain citizenship for applicants claiming Bulgarian descent.

Uner the proposed amendments, a naturalization candidate will have to specify the data which proves the applicant's Bulgarian origin.

Swiss voters on Feb. 12 approved making it easier for third-generation immigrants to become citizens, dismissing suggestions that the move could pose a security threat, as reported by Reuters. 

Projections by broadcaster SRF after polls closed showed the measure easily winning by a 59-41 percent margin. 

Turkey's real estate sector is expected to see more than $1 billion in additional revenue in 2017 after a move to give citizenship to some foreigners who buy and hold Turkish property, a senior economy official told Reuters.

Under the plan, foreigners who buy property worth at least $1 million and hold it for three years will become eligible for Turkish citizenship. 

Turkey will grant citizenship to foreigners if they fulfill certain financial conditions, read a decision of the authorities published in the State Gazette on January 12, reported BGNES.

Turkey will grant citizenship to foreigners who buy properties worth at least $1 million and invest a minimum of $2 million or deposit at least $3 million in a bank account for more than three years, according to a revised decree that was published in the Official Gazette on Jan. 12, Doğan News Agency reported.