Part II. European Law on Nationality and Statelessness
clearest attempt to contribute to progress in international law on nationality.543
Furthermore, the ECN lays down rules about the procedures relating to nationality.544
Besides the obligatory chapters on the application of the convention and final
clauses, the ECN also contains an interesting chapter on cooperation between the
states parties to the ECN, which relates to continuing the development of laws relating
to nationality matters within Europe.545 Pursuant to these provisions, the competent
authorities of the states parties shall provide the Secretary General of the CoE and,
when requested, each other with information about their internal laws regarding
nationality as well as developments concerning the application of the ECN.546 Also, the
provisions speak more elaborately about cooperation and of exchange of information
relating to voluntary acquisition of nationality.547 The results of the aforementioned
obligation to provide information to the CoE should, according to the Explanatory
Report, be compiled by the European Documentation Centre on Nationality in a
European Bulletin on Nationality.548 The European Bulletin on Nationality used to
be publicly available, but the last update is from 2004.549 It is unclear whether this
information is still being collected and distributed in the context of the CDCJ, which
is the CoE body which remains concerned with questions around nationality and
statelessness.550 It looks like no real cooperation or exchange of information has been
taking place, even though renewed efforts, like the 2021 Conference Statelessness and
the Right to a Nationality in Europe: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities551, are a
step in the right direction. From the ECN is, nonetheless, evident that such reporting
should happen. According to the second paragraph of the same Article 23 of the ECN,
the states parties are to cooperate with each other and within the framework of the
CoE with the aim to deal with any problems that may arise and to promote progressive
development of legal principles relating to nationality. Again, the Explanatory Report
provides further explanation, and names the Committee of Experts on Nationality (CJNA) as the appropriate body for cooperation within the CoE.552
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
106
Gerard-René de Groot, ‘The European Convention on Nationality: A Step towards a Ius Commune in
the Field of Nationality Law’ (2007) 7 Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law 117, 120.
Chapter IV ECN.
Chapter VIII ECN.
Art 23(1) ECN.
Arts 23(2) & 24 ECN. For more information, see CoE, Explanatory Report to the European Convention
on Nationality (Strasbourg, 6 November 1997, CETS No. 166) paras. 131–133.
CoE, Explanatory Report to the European Convention on Nationality (Strasbourg, 6 November 1997,
CETS No. 166) para 129.
CDCJ, ‘Nationality’ <https://www.coe.int/en/web/cdcj/completed-work/standard-setting/nationality>
accessed 26 May 2021.
See also CDCJ, ‘Statelessness’ <https://www.coe.int/en/web/cdcj/statelessness> accessed 26 May 2021.
Th is Conference and technical meeting of experts took place on 23–24 September 2021 in Strasbourg,
were organized by the CDCJ and UNHCR, and were aimed at strengthening efforts to end statelessness
in Europe. See also <https://www.coe.int/en/web/cdcj/statelessness-and-the-right-to-a-nationality-ineurope-progress-challenges-and-opportunities> accessed 27 September 2021.
CoE, Explanatory Report to the European Convention on Nationality (Strasbourg, 6 November 1997,
CETS No. 166) para 131.
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