Ukraine has amended the list of countries with which it accepts dual citizenship agreements, adding 29 new states including Romania.

On 8 May, the government in Kyiv adopted a 'decree regarding amendments to the list of states whose citizens (subjects) acquire Ukrainian citizenship through a simplified procedure.'

Previously, the original list included only five states, namely Canada, Germany, Poland, the United States and the Czech Republic, but the new legislative act added Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Greece, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Finland, France, Croatia, Switzerland and Sweden.

Under this legislation, Ukrainian citizens may acquire a second citizenship without being required to renounce their Ukrainian citizenship.

The legislative act also allows ethnic Ukrainians from those states to become Ukrainian citizens through a simplified procedure.

Romanian-born Ukrainian lawyer Eugen Patras had previously argued that the decision to limit the list of countries for which dual citizenship is accepted to only five represented a form of underappreciation of Romania by the authorities in Kyiv after the new law on acquiring and retaining Ukrainian citizenship, which entered into force on 16 January, sparked dissatisfaction within the Romanian community in Ukraine.

The legislative act adopted by the authorities in Kyiv stipulated the conditions under which multiple citizenship may be acquired as well as the list of countries with which Ukraine accepts dual citizenship agreements. The list included five states, three from Europe and two from the American continent, namely Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, the United States of America and Canada. Romania was not included on the list, which caused concern among Romanians in Ukraine. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Cristian Lupascu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)