The Monegasque National Council is preparing to vote a bill to limit the rapid expansion of the number of Monegasques. After 5 years, then 10 years, the transmission of nationality through marriage will then be effective after 20 years.
Last March, the President of the National Council, Stéphane Valeri, announced measures concerning the demographic evolution of the country. Bill 244 was logically introduced during the public sitting of October 17th. It starts with a first reminder of the figures that have tripled in 70 years. On the 2 km² of the Principality, Monegasques were 9,326 at the end of 2018 against 3,000 in 1950. If the rise continues, the number could reach 14,700 in 50 years according to the statistics from the Imsee. A finding that requires taking appropriate measures to sustain the current model and therefore the well-being of residents. Thus, the number of years to transmit nationality to one’s spouse through marriage could well double. In 2011, it had already jumped from 5 to 10 years to end gender inequalities on the subject.
A necessary and thoughtful measure
The desire of the council is not to prevent spouses from obtaining Monegasque nationality. It nevertheless wishes to orient the naturalization process to solid couples. Although a 20-year term seems long, it’s the equivalent of a generation. The time needed to integrate into the Principality’s culture, like a child becoming an adult. To support this transition, the board also proposed a strengthening of spousal rights. It is the same for the preservation of the links between a Monegasque child and a parent of another nationality.
*Article originally published in the French edition of the Monaco Tribune.