Methodology

Methodology for monitoring and recording issues regarding the administrative process of granting citizenship

Generation 2.0 RED is responsible for monitoring the way in which public administration enforces citizenship legislation. In addition, Generation 2.0 RED developed the methodology used to follow two specific procedures provided by national law, naturalization and the acquisition of citizenship by birth / school attendance & studies in the country (known as Second Generation Citizenship). That methodology is the main tool for collecting, recording and highlighting issues that limit access and acquisition of citizenship. Recording is one of the central actions that runs through the project “Citizenship in practice”.

First and foremost, the monitoring of the operation of the public administration takes into account specific areas of these two citizenship procedures, as provided by law [1]: from the submission of the application to the competent citizenship service until the receipt of the ID card by the police, in case of a positive decision on the acquisition of citizenship.

More specifically, the steps per process are as following:

> Process of acquiring Greek citizenship by naturalization

1. Exams for obtaining the Certificate of Knowledge Adequacy for Naturalization (PEGP)
2. Completeness of the file
3. Oral interview and overall evaluation
4. Acceptance or rejection of the application
5. Central administrative organisation and staffing of services
6. Rate of applications rocessing.

> Procedure for acquiring Greek citizenship by birth/ school attendance & studies (second generation citizenship)

1. Certificate of successful attendance of certain classes of the Greek school (regarding the category of studies)
2. Declaration-application for acquisition of Greek citizenship
3. Central administrative organisation and staffing of services
4. Rate of applications processing

Once the monitoring areas per citizenship process were defined, a correspondence was then made with the hierarchy of the public administration in charge of implementing them, based on the organisational chart of the Ministry of Interior, starting from the General Secretariat for Citizenship up to the Regional Directorates of Citizenship.

The sources of information are the legal framework, the regular official communications and meetings of Generation 2.0 RED with the General Secretariat for Citizenship, the Central Citizenship Administration and the Regional Directorates of Citizenship,[2] the following of the official websites of the Ministry of Interior, the Greek Parliament, the Greek Open Government Initiative, the Diavgeia, the Government Gazette, as well as the information received by the beneficiaries of the organisation who have started the process of acquiring citizenship. The recording and highlighting of the malfunctions of the citizenship granting system results through this systematic process of research and comparative approach of the legislative provisions with the practices of the public administration.

The results of the systematic monitoring of the functioning of the public administration are published in quarterly reports that present the main issues and obstacles in the administrative process, which have emerged during this period and restrict access on citizenship.

[1] Based on the provisions of the Code of Greek Citizenship (Law 3284/2004, as in force). In particular, regarding the new naturalization system, the amendments of Law 4735/2020 were taken into account, while for the process of acquiring citizenship due to birth and / or school attendance & studies, Law 4332/2015.

[2] Based on a methodological plan and an open questionnaire prepared by Generation 2.0 RED.