Syncing requirements for acquiring citizenship status across EU nations

When a person acquires the citizenship of an EU country, they not only become a citizen of that country but also a citizen of the European Union.

Years to live in state

First of all, the years lived in a state should be transferable across all EU nations. If we are a union, we should be united, which means we should be synchronized together.

Secondly, this process should be standardized. Some nations currently require 10 years of residence to obtain citizenship, while others require only 5 years.

Requirements for language

Some countries don’t require any language test or exam, some require A2, and others require B1. Some countries allow you to choose which language you want to speak, such as Belgium.

While I agree that it’s important to know the basic language to be able to communicate your needs, some professions cannot gain the necessary practice due to the nature of their work.

As a software engineer, my working language for the past 9 years in the EU has been English. I’ve worked with people across the EU and the entire world. I didn’t need to know the native language of each individual I worked with to perform my job well and pay taxes.

Extra requirements

Civic tests and constitutional exams are not unified across the nations either. These exams might include a country’s history, geography, political systems, culture, laws, etc. Some nations don’t have them at all.

The questions asked should also be standardized. Many of them don’t reflect one’s civic duties or ability to contribute to society. I am referring to questions like, “Which king was the first to abdicate the throne?” and so on.