The project “Citizenship in Practice” is being implemented under the Active citizens fund program, by Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality & Diversity, and its partner, the Hellenic League for Human Rights. The project started in April 2021 and will be completed in March 2023.
The effective and fair access to citizenship does not depend only on the existence of the legal framework. The way it is implemented by the public administration also plays an important role.
The current Code of Greek Citizenship was enacted by Law 3284/2004. In 2010 there was an extensive reform of the provisions of naturalization and for the first time a provision was introduced for the granting of citizenship to the second generation, due to birth in Greece and / or school attendance & studies. In 2013 the Council of State ruled that the acquisition of citizenship by application-declaration for the second generation was unconstitutional. In 2015, Law 4332 finally established the right of citizenship for the second generation. Recently, Laws 4604/2019 and 4735/2020 also brought significant changes to the naturalization system, introducing an examination process based on an Item Bank.
However, access to citizenship, which is regulated by law, is not sufficiently guaranteed during the administrative implementation.
Thus, the project “Citizenship in practice” responds for the first time to the need to evaluate the administrative process of granting citizenship in Greece, in order to contribute to the provision of equal access to this right.
The project seeks to suggest and propose solutions to improve the public administration of the process of granting citizenship. It is, therefore, addressed primarily to the Greek public administration, but the benefit of the beneficiaries is also taken into account. At the same time, it seeks to inform the public about the important issue of access to citizenship.
The activities are the following:
- Τhe systematic monitoring of the operation of the public administration with regard to the process of granting citizenship and the publication of 4-monthly Reports. These Reports present the main issues and obstacles that arise in the administrative process, limiting the access and making more difficult the acquisition of citizenship.
- The creation of Good Practices of European Countries in the Naturalization Process. This report highlights the good practices of European countries with administrative issues similar to Greece’s, identifies the points that need improvement in the Greek citizenship acquisition system and proposes reforms based on legal certainty and equality of rights.
- Τhe development of this website, where all the material produced in the context of the project as well as other information about citizenship in Greece is published. The main objective is to increase public information and awareness in relation to the access to citizenship and to promote proposals for the improvement of the relevant procedures.
- The edition of Substantive requirements for naturalization – Essential Recommendations which presents and analyzes the substantive requirements that are mainly related to the verification of the degree of social integration and also proposes improvements based on whether those conditions actually achieve this goal. (This edition is available only in Greek).
- Τhe organization of capacity building workshops on “The role of public officials in the acquisition of citizenship”. These workshops concern employees of General Secretary of Citizenship and teachers taking part in the naturalization examinations either as correctors or examiners, in order to discuss any legislative changes, administrative issues, concerns and good practices in the performance of duties.
- The publication, in Greek and English, of the Greek Citizenship – A mythbuster, in which the most widespread clichés and misconceptions about immigration, inclusion and citizenship are presented and explained, since many “myths” being reproduced are ultimately entrenched in the public perception as reality.
- The edition, in Greek and English, of the final proposal report Towards improving access to Greek citizenship, which gathers the findings of the recording of the issues in Greece, the main conclusions from individual texts and final documented proposals for the improvement of the efficiency of the citizenship acquisition processes.
- Finally, two events are planned, one in the beginning for the presentation of the programme and one with the completion of for the project’s dissemination.
PROJECT PROMOTER: Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality & Diversity (G2RED)
PROJECT PARTNER: Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR)
RELATIVE CALL: Increased support for Human Rights
PROJECT DURATION: 24 Months
EXPECTED OUTCOME: Increased support for human rights
LOCATION, REGION: Attica
Active Citizens Fund In Greece
The Active citizens fund in Greece is supported through a € 13.5 m grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway as part of the EEA Grants 2014 – 2021. The programme aims to develop the sustainability and capacity of the civil society sector in Greece, and to strengthen its role in promoting and safeguarding democratic procedures, active citizenship and human rights. The Fund Operator for the Active citizens fund in Greece is Bodossaki Foundation in consortium with SolidarityNow. More information: www.activecitizensfund.gr
About the EEA Grants: Τhe EEA Grants are jointly financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The EEA Grants are available to the 13 EU member countries that joined the EU and the European Economic Area (EEA) in 2004, 2007 and 2013 as well as Greece and Portugal. The decision-making body of the EEA Grants is the Financial Mechanism Committee, which is composed of representatives of the Foreign Ministries of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. More information: www.eeagrants.org & www.eeagrants.gr
Bodossaki Foundation
The Bodossaki Foundation is one of the most respected privately-owned public benefit organizations in Greece. The Foundation is the culminating point of its founder’s brilliant course in life and remains the carrying vessel of the values and ideas that he faithfully served throughout his eventful life. The Foundation was established in 1972 by Prodromos – Bodossakis Athanassiades who decided to donate his entire fortune to support health care, equal opportunities, quality in education, scientific progress and environmental protection. The Foundation has a deep knowledge of social needs in Greece and has administered so far more than €450m supporting its causes. The Bodossaki Foundation also supports NGOs working with socially vulnerable groups and has lately set the strengthening of civil society as one of its primary objectives. Since 2013 it administers the regranting facilities of the EEA Grants for civil society in Greece.
More information: www.bodossaki.gr
SolidarityNow
SolidarityNow (SN) is a non-governmental organization established in 2013 to respond to the needs, and advocate for the rights of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, indiscriminately. SN’s Headquarters are in Athens, with large operations in Thessaloniki and activities across the country. The organization’s vision is to improve people’s lives and to empower them to create a just and inclusive society. SN’s actions fall under three main strategic priorities:
- a) Promoting safety and protection
- b) Catalyzing livelihoods opportunities
- c) Strengthening the independence of civil society and defending open society values.
SN has supported 300,000 people to date, both through direct project implementation and through regranting programmes. Through its regranting initiatives, SN has supported 73 different programs and provided a total funding of € 14.4M to support Greek civil society organizations.
For more information: www.solidaritynow.org
Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality & Diversity
Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality & Diversity (Generation 2.0 RED) is an initiative launched by a group of young people with migrant origin. Operating as an informal group as far back as 2006, referred to as ‘Second Generation’, our mission was focused on securing the right to citizenship for the otherwise invisible generation of children, born and/or raised in Greece from migrant backgrounds. In 2008, the group started collaborating closely with the “Institute for Human Rights, Equality and Diversity (i-RED)”, an independent research institute, aiming to interconnect scientific evidence with field experiences. In December 2013, the group officially merged with i-RED, forming one organisation, Generation 2.0 for Rights, Equality and Diversity, based in Athens.
Today, Generation 2.0 RED is a nonprofit organisation and consists of an interdisciplinary team, comprising a spectrum of ethnicities and social backgrounds, sharing the common vision that all of us, on an individual and communal level, have the right to equal and active citizenry in an inclusive society.
Generation 2.0 RED’s mission is implemented through a holistic approach, as the team intervenes with action and research at the individual, social and institutional level aiming to individual and community empowerment, to promote human rights, equality and diversity and fight against racism, xenophobia and discrimination. Its core actions are Advocacy, Legal Counselling, Career Counselling and Non-Formal Education.
For more information check: www.g2red.org
Hellenic League for Human Rights
The Hellenic League for Human Rights is an association that has been active for countable years in the field of the protection of human rights (founded in 1953).
HLHR participates in the National Commission for Human Rights, in the Immigration Integration Councils of the Municipalities of Athens and Thessaloniki and in the Racist Violence Recording Network. It’s a member of the International Federation for Human Rights. Since 2011, together with two other partners, has been selected by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights as the national contact point (FRANET) for Greece in order to collect data and information on issues of fundamental rights and discrimination.
HLHR’s areas of intervention include issues related to: sexism and gender-based violence, minorities, immigration and asylum, hate speech and racist violence, justice, the penitentiary system and state-church relations. It fulfils its objectives through the study of citizens’ problems, the submission of proposals and legislative arrangements, advocacy, strategic litigation, raising awareness and the deepening of the public debate around human rights through the organization of lectures, conferences, campaigns, publications and other events.
For more information: www.hlhr.gr , Facebook & Twitter
