ABSTRACT
Finland’s accession to the European Union in 1995 initiated many changes in Finnish legislation. One of these changes related to the question of Finnish citizenship, as the new Nationality Act enabled dual citizenship. At first, dual citizenship was perceived positively. Allowing individuals to maintain and foster their ties to the non-resident country was considered to enhance their inclusion into the country of residence. However, during the mid-2010s attitudes started to shift from post-nationalism to neo-nationalism. In this new climate, dual citizenship raised concerns about ‘welfare shopping,’ political disloyalty and security threats and as such, dual citizens’ ties were now perceived as a barrier for their inclusion. In Finland, Finnish-Russian dual citizens have felt these changes in the political climate stronger than any other citizenship combination. This chapter uses the status of Finnish-Russian dual citizens as a case study to explore the balance shift between national and supranational citizenship in Europe, and its impact on dual citizens’ inclusion. The main findings indicate that although dual citizenship can create a positive distinction and provide opportunities, it can also have excluding effects as dual citizens can also be depicted as suspicious and threatening.
