Founded in 1952, the World Federation of Austrians Abroad (AöWB) is a platform for networking and exchange for Austrian associations worldwide and Austrians living abroad. It offers assistance in connecting with the homeland and a wide range of support services. At the same time, the Weltbund also represents the political, cultural, social and economic interests of Austrians living abroad. One of these interests at present is the endeavour to make it easier to retain Austrian citizenship in the event of acquiring a foreign nationality.
In line with this concern of the Federation, attorney-at-law Balazs Esztegar gave a lecture at this year's conference on dual and multiple citizenships in Austrian citizenship law, that exist in principle, although they are not possible in every case. Although it is still fundamentally true that the law contains the principle of single nationality and endeavours to avoid dual nationality wherever possible, it is no longer possible to speak of a consistent system. In his presentation, Mr. Esztegar pointed out, for example, that the number of cases of dual citizenship is likely to increase steadily due to births abroad, descent from parents with different nationalities, but also due to the amendment to Section 58c of the Citizenship Act introduced by the legislator in September 2020.
This inconsistency in the law should certainly be taken as an opportunity to rethink the existing system and adapt it to the requirements of today's social structures. This applies in particular to the rights of minors, but also to the authorisation to retain citizenship for Austrians who have been living abroad for a long time.