Dimitry Vladimirovich Kochenov is a professor of legal studies at the Central European University. [1]
Before returning to CEU, Dimitry Vladimirovich was a professor at the University of Groningen. [1] The Economist, [2] FT, [3] NYT, [4] BBC, [5] CBC, [6] NBC, [7] Le Monde, [8] Rzeczpospolita [9] and other outlets have paid attention to Dimitry's work or published his op-eds and interviews.
In his academic work, he has criticized citizenship as an unjustifiable form of apartheid, comparing it to racism, sexism, and slavery, and advocated its complete abolition. [10] [11] He has defended golden passport schemes and criticized attempts of the European Commission to restrict them. [12]
Following a 2019 investigation [13] by Dutch news program Nieuwsuur into passport trade, University of Groningen conducted an investigation into Kochenov's paid consulting activities related to citizenship by investment or investment naturalisation (so-called "passport trade"), including his role with Henley & Partners and advising Malta on a law change to allow citizenship by investment.
In 2020, a University of Groningen investigation resulted in a warning, but concluded that while Kochenov failed to comply with the approval procedure for additional activities set out in the applicable regulations, he was not involved in the alleged ‘Maltese passport trade’. [14]
Kochenov has received a mixture of criticism [15] [16] and support [17] from academic colleagues on the matter of academic integrity. After the investigation, Prof. Kochenov left Groningen for the CEU.
Citizenship is an allegiance of person to a state.
The primary law governing nationality of the Republic of Ireland is the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act, 1956, which came into force on 17 July 1956. Ireland is a member state of the European Union (EU) and all Irish nationals are EU citizens. They enjoy free movement rights in EU and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries and may vote in elections to the European Parliament.
Chen v Home Secretary was a decision of the European Court of Justice which decided that a minor who is a national of a European Union member state has the right to reside in the European Union with his or her third-country national parents, provided the minor and parents have health insurance and will not become a burden on the public finances of the member state of residence.
German nationality law details the conditions by which an individual is a national of Germany. The primary law governing these requirements is the Nationality Act, which came into force on 1 January 1914. Germany is a member state of the European Union (EU) and all German nationals are EU citizens. They have automatic and permanent permission to live and work in any EU or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) country and may vote in elections to the European Parliament.
Maltese nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of Malta. The primary law governing nationality regulations is the Maltese Citizenship Act, which came into force on 21 September 1964. Malta is a member state of the European Union (EU) and all Maltese nationals are EU citizens. They have automatic and permanent permission to live and work in any EU or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) country and may vote in elections to the European Parliament.
Icelandic nationality law details the conditions by which an individual is a national of Iceland. The primary law governing these requirements is the Icelandic Nationality Act, which came into force on 1 January 1953. Iceland is a member state of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). All Icelandic nationals have automatic and permanent permission to live and work in any European Union (EU) or EFTA country.
Hungarian nationality law is based on the principles of jus sanguinis. Hungarian citizenship can be acquired by descent from a Hungarian parent, or by naturalisation. A person born in Hungary to foreign parents does not generally acquire Hungarian citizenship. A Hungarian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union.
Lithuanian nationality law operates on the jus sanguinus principle, whereby persons who have a claim to Lithuanian ancestry, either through parents, grandparents, great-grandparents may claim Lithuanian nationality. Citizenship may also be granted by naturalization. Naturalization requires a residency period, an examination in the Lithuanian language, examination results demonstrating familiarity with the Lithuanian Constitution, a demonstrated means of support, and an oath of loyalty. A right of return clause was included in the 1991 constitution for persons who left Lithuania after its occupation by the Soviet Union in 1940 and their descendants. Lithuanian citizens are also citizens of the European Union and thus enjoy rights of free movement and have the right to vote in elections for the European Parliament.
Estonian citizenship law details the conditions by which a person is a citizen of Estonia. The primary law currently governing these requirements is the Citizenship Act, which came into force on 1 April 1995.
Cypriot nationality law details the conditions by which a person is a national of Cyprus. The primary law governing nationality regulations is the Republic of Cyprus Citizenship Law, 1967, which came into force on 28 July 1967. Regulations apply to the entire island of Cyprus, which includes the Republic of Cyprus itself and Northern Cyprus, a breakaway region that is diplomatically recognised only by Turkey as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
The primary law governing nationality in the United Kingdom is the British Nationality Act 1981, which came into force on 1 January 1983. Regulations apply to the British Islands, which include the UK itself and the Crown dependencies, and the 14 British Overseas Territories.
Slovak nationality law is the law governing the acquisition, transmission and loss of Slovak citizenship. The Citizenship Act is a law enacted by the National Council of Slovakia in regard to the nationality law following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. In 2010, it was controversially amended, enacting loss of Slovak citizenship upon naturalization elsewhere. This was said to have affected the 2012 election to some degree.
Global apartheid is a term used to describe how Global North countries are engaged in a project of "racialization, segregation, political intervention, mobility controls, capitalist plunder, and labor exploitation" affecting people from the Global South. Proponents of the concept argue that a close examination of the global system reveals it to be a kind of apartheid writ large with striking resemblance to the system of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to 1994, but based on borders and national sovereignty.
The Henley Passport Index is a global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom enjoyed by the holders of that country's ordinary passport for its citizens. It started in 2006 as Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index (HVRI) and was modified and renamed in January 2018.
Henley & Partners is an investment migration consultancy based in London. The company also advises governments on residence and citizenship-by-investment policy and works with them to develop and implement residence and citizenship programs. According to The Guardian, it "arguably invented the modern 'citizenship planning' industry". Led by Christian Kälin, the firm is, as of 2020, the world's largest investment migration consultancy.
Christian H. Kälin or Kaelin is a Swiss lawyer, an author, and the chairman of Henley & Partners, an architect of citizenship-by-investment programs that allow wealthy individuals to obtain additional passports. Dubbed the "Passport King" by the media, he is credited with making citizenship by investment "a legitimate, largely above-board industry".
Coman and Others v Inspectoratul General pentru Imigrări and Ministerul Afacerilor Interne is a 2018 case of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that affirmed residency rights in EU countries, to the spouse of an EU citizen who is exercising their right to freedom of movement and if the marriage was legally performed in an EU member state.
The Quality of Nationality Index (QNI) ranks the quality of nationalities based on internal and external factors. Each nationality receives an aggregated score based on economic strength, human development, ease of travel, political stability and overseas employment opportunities for their citizens. The QNI was created by Dimitry Kochenov and Christian Kälin, chairman of Henley & Partners.
The Investment Migration Council (IMC), based in Geneva, Switzerland, was founded in 2014 as a not-for-profit organisation. The Council's mission is to set standards in the investment migration industry worldwide. The IMC supports and interacts with other associations, governments and international organisations in the investment migration field. In addition, the Council supports the industry in improving the public understanding on investment migration, which is a new industry and seen by some as controversial, through education and its code of ethics and professional conduct.
Liechtensteiner nationality law details the conditions by which an individual is a national of Liechtenstein. The primary law governing these requirements is the Law on the Acquisition and Loss of Citizenship, which came into force on 4 January 1934.