Citizenship Loss and Deprivation in the European Union (27 + 1) of loss of nationality (L14).97 Seven of them are establishing time limitation. Croatia forbids the withdrawal after the age of 14; Finland the age of five; France, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia the age of 18; the Netherlands within five years after having been found. 4. Conclusion Allegiance is neither perpetual nor secure in the EU. If citizens can renounce their nationality in every Member State, they can also involuntarily lose their nationality in every Member State. A table based on the number of grounds for revocation per Member State maps the extent to which nationality is guaranteed in the European Union – the lower the number, the more secure the nationality. The table shows that two grounds are the minimum (Czech Republic and Poland) and twelve the maximum (Lithuania), out of a theoretical maximum of sixteen. These data, while useful to provide a broad perspective, do not sufficiently indicate the practical degree to which nationality is secure among Member States. The way legislation is implemented also determines the extent to which nationality is protected. The situation of the United Kingdom demonstrates this fact quite well as the country is ranked among the states with lower scores (three grounds), but the way it implements its legislation makes its nationality very fragile (see above 3.1.2.). Moreover, certain grounds like L13a are more a legislative protection against the strict application of civil principles than a clear indication of the uncertainty of the nationality (see above 3.2.5.(2)). 97 Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. European University Institute 25