Brussels, 19/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - According to data published by Eurostat on Friday 16 November, EU27 member states granted citizenship to around 810,000 people in 2010. The highest number of citizenships was granted by the United Kingdom (195,000 people), France (143,000), Spain (124,000) and Germany (105,000), explained the EU Statistics Office. Overall, these states accounted for 70% of all citizenships granted by the EU27 member states.
Compared with 2009, the number of acquisitions rose by 4% in the EU27 in 2010, noted Eurostat, mainly due to an increase in the number of citizenships granted by Spain. The new citizens in the EU27 in 2010 came from Africa (29% of the total number of citizenships acquired), Asia (23%), non-EU27 Europe (19%), North and South America (19%), other EU27 member states (9%) and Oceania (1%).
Eurostat indicated that in 2010, the largest groups that acquired citizenship of an EU27 member state were citizens of Morocco (67,000 people), Turkey (49,900), Ecuador (45,200), India (34,700) and Colombia (27,500). Among the member states with the highest total number of citizenships acquired, the largest groups in the United Kingdom were Indians (15% of total citizenships acquired) and Pakistanis (11%), in France, they were Moroccans (19% of total citizenships acquired) and Algerians (15%), in Spain, they were Ecuadorians (35%) and Colombians (19%) and in Germany they were Turks (25%). (SP/transl.fl)