European Union citizenship or status of long-term resident: a dilemma for third-country nationals in Estonia

The European Union has created long-term resident status which is an option for a third-country national to have similar rights as an European citizen. In Estonia, there is a relatively high number of third-country nationals that hold the status of long-term resident and who do seek to obtain the Estonian citizenship. This article is looking for an answer to the question whether the Estonian citizenship is attractive enough to third-country nationals residing in Estonia through which it is possible to get access also to European Union citizenship. After the transformation of the EU directives into the Estonian legislation, Estonian permanent residents have been granted the status of a long-term resident which is one step back from the development of getting closer ties with the country of residence. Citizenship is creating a division between categories of people but it also confers duties that can be avoided by non-citizens. The Lisbon Treaty has not changed much in the European citizenship notion, although, for example, diplomatic protection for the EU citizens should be provided and measures on how to achieve the goal are introduced by the Lisbon Treaty.

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