Justice minister Sam Tanson has said that the government is not inclined to renew a law, that had temporarily allowed anyone with a proven link to a Luxembourger born after 1 January 1900 to become a citizen of the grand duchy. The law, which came into force in 2008 and was valid until 31 December 2018, had seen Brazilian and US citizens, among others, claim their Luxembourg passport. In 2019 alone, 11,451 people had claimed the passport.

Though the option had always been acknowledged as temporary, the Sven Clement had said that it should be renewed. The Pirate Party deputy argued: “It would be a pity to close this path to naturalisation already and to exclude a diaspora that can propagate Luxembourg values and traditions throughout the world, maintaining the link that unites them with the land of their ancestors, their land.”

Clement also mentioned the importance of embracing this opportunity in the name of cosmopolitanism.  A vote on the proposition has yet to take place.

This article was updated to correct a suggestion that Clement’s bill had already been voted down by parliament