Towards a new model of integration in Luxembourg : the new legislative proposal on the nationality law as a major change in the understanding of the Luxemburgish citizenship

Abstract

The government of Luxembourg issued a new proposal for reforming the law on the nationality of 2008. This new proposal carries a major change in the conception of citizenship. It comes back to an ius soli base that was abolished in 1940. The pure ius sanguinis condition for being Luxemburgish at birth could be replaced by a double ius soli requirement in the month of July 2015. Luxembourg, being a multilingual and multicultural country hosting major non-national communities and a founding member of the European Union constitutes a unique place to explore the implications of this law, its causes and its consequences on the residents and to understand the purpose of this proposal in the light of democracy and representation. The concept of citizenship is being challenged by the important migratory flow and the inherent transnationality of the European space connected to the world. The main body of this thesis will be dedicated to understand the timeline of citizenship in Luxembourg, the main changes in the new legislative proposal and its causes. Hence, this work will discuss the meaning of an ius soli basis, its relation with the supranational EU citizenship status and will open on its implications on a transnational perspective.