Citizenship by descent: Latvia, Ireland, Italy, Poland offer routes to European diaspora

Countries including Latvia, Ireland, Italy and Poland provide legal routes through which certain descendants of former or current citizens may obtain or confirm citizenship, the report says. The issue concerns families whose ancestors left Europe during the political and economic upheavals of the 20th century, when a legal connection was interrupted by war, occupation, displacement or migration. Citizenship of an EU member state affects where a person can live, work and study, so the matter goes beyond obtaining another passport and can restore a tangible link with family history. Cyprus is not among the countries named in the text.