“The objective of the nationality law is for nationality to be a choice, but a choice for those who have already completed an integration process,” stated Rui Armindo Freitas in an interview.
“This is the nationality law we wanted,” he said, admitting there was “a huge effort to negotiate with the parties,” seeking a consensus that was only possible with the right.
“Our proposal of 10 and seven years [as the minimum period of documented residency] to obtain nationality was different from Chega’s proposal, which was 10 and six, and the Socialist Party itself recognized the need to review the nationality law,” having proposed a maximum period of nine years, he recalled.
Rui Freitas emphasized that the revision of the law also results from “the moment Portugal went through, with a demographic shock” that involved the arrival of over a million immigrants in a few years.
“We have designed a nationality law that today gives the country much more capacity to be open to the world, with very clear rules about what it means to be a national citizen,” he highlighted.
Citizenship “has nothing to do with issues of humanity,” but is “a choice,” and “we, as a country, must clearly define the perimeter of our political community, what our people are, and who wants to be part” of that group, explained the official, who refused to “confuse immigration with nationality.”
However, he warned, “if the management of immigration flows is not regulated, it starts to impact nationality issues, and countries must take actions that clearly define what their political community is, what their people are, and what their future path is.”
