Maarten Vink

@maartenpvink.bsky.social

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Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · Nov 13

Good morning and blue skies over Villa Schifanoia!

Welcome to everyone new on BlueSky and 🙏 for following me.

Short intro: I am a 🇳🇱 prof at the #EUI 🇪🇺 based at a beautiful campus in the hills outside Florence 🇮🇹. I am a #polsky by training and interested in all about #citizenship #migcitsky.

🧵

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 6h

“Industry experts cast doubt on whether the passports would draw a high number of applicants, however.”

Botswana pitches ‘golden passport’ scheme as diamond sales fall

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Botswana pitches ‘golden passport’ scheme as diamond sales fall

Foreigners would pay up to $100,000 for citizenship under the proposal

giftarticle.ft.com

Reposted by A. E. Dessler, Maarten Vink, Pascale Aebischer

Jason Concepcion @netw3rk.bsky.social · 1d

The FIFA Peace Prize used to mean something

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Steve Peers, David Johnson , and 11 more Joe R. Feagin, Steve Peers, David Johnson, Maarten Vink, Melissa Johnson, Sanford F. Schram, Kathi Wilson, Michael J. Hicks, Henrik Skaug Sætra, Greg Linden, Sean P. Corcoran, Pam Jarvis, Timothy D. McBride, David Darmofal

Pete Buttigieg @petebuttigieg.bsky.social · 1d

It's an old and obvious pattern. An unpopular president - failing on the economy and losing his grip on power at home - decides to launch a war for regime change abroad.

The American people don’t want to “run” a foreign country while our leaders fail to improve life in this one.

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Jason Mittell, Rebecca Solnit , and 50 more Anne Applebaum, Jason Mittell, Rebecca Solnit, Richard S.J. Tol, Norbert Schwarz, Will Jennings, Jon Pierre, Brendan Nyhan, Martin Jung, Patrick A. Jansen, Tom Clark, Steve Peers, Tom Shakespeare, Michael A. Clemens, Mary Feeney, Maarten Vink, Bruce D. Baker, Marianne Hundt, Gernot Wagner, Jörg Oechssler, Valerie Mueller, John Foot, Ameet Sarpatwari, Bonnie Honig, Alan Richardson, Adrian Daub, Michael J. Taylor, E. Wayne Ross, Douglas Guilfoyle, Gerald Friedman, Alison Johnson, Jacob T. Levy, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Robert B. Reich, Els Torreele, Michael H. Whitworth, Samantha Brennan, Peter Jacobsen, Ben Rosamond, Mark Rice, David Bartram, Cyrus Samimi, Henry Jones, Henrik Skaug Sætra, Stefan C. Aykut, Halley E. Froehlich, Umut Özkırımlı, James Connelly, Klaus Oschema, Kirstin Drenkhahn, Matthias Schmelzer, Aidan O’Sullivan, Timothy D. McBride

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 1d

Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.

Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.

Reposted by Maarten Vink, Michael Jones‐Correa

Austin Kocher, PhD @austinkocher.com · 2d

New research in International Migration Review: US visitor visa rejection rates are more than double for applicants from Africa compared to Europe. And this disparity isn't explained by economics, demographics, or even visa overstay rates. 🧵

Reposted by Maarten Vink

Jelena Dzankic @jdzankic.bsky.social · 2d

Such a cool example to use in a class about citizenship by exceptional merit!

*there are other articles on the topic but this one also has some quotes on the grounds for naturalisation

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 2d

George Clooney fires back at Trump after US president mocks his French citizenship

Trump called the actor and his wife, Amal, ‘two of the worst political prognosticators of all time’ after they were awarded French passports George Clooney has lashed out at US president Donald Trump for criticising France’s decision to grant the Hollywood actor and his family French citizenship. The 64-year-old Oscar winner, his wife, Amal Alamuddin Clooney, and their two children became French citizens earlier this month after living on a property in southern France for years. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Maarten Vink

Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 8d

House Republicans are moving to expel Ilhan Omar from Congress.

Trump was found liable for sexual assault.
He’s a 34 time convicted felon.
He’s all over the Epstein files.

He gets to be President.

But if you’re born in Somalia & critical of the regime?

You’re targeted & threatened.

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 11d

As it seeks to end birthright citizenship, the Trump administration is arguing that immigrants bring problems that extend for generations. The data shows otherwise.

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/23/u...

Stephen Miller Cites Children of Immigrants as a Problem

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Maarten Vink

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 12d

From 2018 to 2024, the tax rate paid by eight major retailers was slashed from 30% to just 17.5%.

The CEOs of those major retailers were paid a collective $1.3 billion.

Meanwhile, the average worker at those stores was paid less than $32,000 in 2024.

Nothing trickled down.

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 13d

link to original article:

bsky.app/profile/aman...

Amanda Frost @amandafrost.bsky.social · 23d

At least 11 congressmen from 1865-1871 were arguably not citizens under Trump's interpretation of 14th A, our research finds. Yet no one challenged their eligibility to serve. Why not? Obviously, b/c no one who drafted or ratified the 14th A shared Trump's view.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

The Dog That Didn't Bark: Eligibility To Serve In Congress And The Original Understanding Of The Citizenship Clause

President Donald J. Trump's 2025 Executive Order restricting birthright citizenship has prompted new interest in the interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment'

papers.ssrn.com

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 13d

“If there had been an original understanding that tracked the Trump administration’s executive order,” Professor @amandafrost.bsky.social said, “at least some of these people would have been challenged.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/u...

A Conspicuous Gap May Undermine Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Plan

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Steve Peers, Mary Feeney, Maarten Vink , and 6 more Steve Peers, Mary Feeney, Maarten Vink, Amir Attaran, Eric Goldman, Peter Holmes, Iikka Korhonen, Rebecca Tushnet, Michael Jones‐Correa

Keith Boykin @keithboykin.bsky.social · 13d

The New York Times investigated 346 people who donated at least $250,000 to Trump and found that more than half of them (197) have received pardons, jobs, government contracts, special treatment, or favors.

Hundreds of Big Post-Election Donors Have Benefited From Trump’s Return to Office

Well into his second term, the president and his allies have continued aggressively raising money. Many donors have interests before his administration, The Times found.

www.nytimes.com

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 16d

See also commentary on the critical but not fully conclusive CJEU ruling on how Denmark’s bid to dismantle ‘ghettos’ sits with EU antidiscrimination law: @courthousenews.bsky.social

www.courthousenews.com/denmarks-bid...

Denmark’s bid to dismantle ‘ghettos’ faces EU discrimination test

The EU’s highest court warned that Denmark’s housing policy aimed at “non-Western” communities sits squarely within EU antidiscrimination law, casting fresh uncertainty over a cornerstone of the count...

www.courthousenews.com

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 16d

Here's more on the well-informed and balanced ruling on various problematic revisions of the nationality law adopted by Portuguese parliament.: www.linkedin.com/posts/maarte...

Stoked to see that the Portuguese Constitutional Court 🇵🇹 cites both the GLOBALCIT Citizenship Law Dataset (https://lnkd.in/dgXraZJA) and our recent paper with Luuk van der Baaren and Dr. Maria… | Maa...

www.linkedin.com

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 16d

Stoked that first citation of new paper on ‘Waves of Securitisation: The Rise, Fall and Resurgence of Citizenship Stripping Regulations in Europe, 1960–2022’ (lnkd.in/dM_jjsFt) is by the 🇵🇹 Constitutional Court!

And good use of @globalcit.bsky.social Citizenship Law Dataset (lnkd.in/dgXraZJA). 💪

Reposted by Maarten Vink, Markus Haverland

Yf Reykers @yfreykers.bsky.social · 16d

With the decision to make available a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, the EU has lived up to its commitment to continue supporting the country.

Will this be sufficient for Ukraine to win the war? No.

But still, the European Council of 18 Dec. warrants cautious optimism.

Why?👇

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis, Maarten Vink, Jens Rydgren , and 2 more Nicholas A. Christakis, Maarten Vink, Jens Rydgren, Cullen S. Hendrix, Speranţa Dumitru

Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 16d

Out of 102 episodes globally in which a trend toward autocracy was reversed over the past century, the vast majority led to restored or even increased levels of democracy.

doi.org/10.1080/1351...

Reposted by Maarten Vink

CJ McKinney @cjmckinney.bsky.social · 17d

Et voilà commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...

Deprivation of British citizenship and withdrawal of passports

In the 21st century there has been a revived use of government powers to deprive people of their British citizenship and withhold UK passports, particularly as a counter-terrorism measure.

commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 17d

All in all, the Court does not go as far as to say that targeting public policies based on designating part of the population as “non-Western” constitutes ethnic discrimination in the context of EU law, but it substantially narrows admissable justifications for arguing it is not…🤔

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 17d

And the fact that there are also ‘Western’ residents in these areas “is not, in itself, sufficient to rule out the possibility that the complex combination of criteria () may lead to a difference in treatment based on ethnic origin.”

106 It must be borne in mind that the Court has held that it is sufficient, in order for there to be direct discrimination within the meaning of Article 2(2)(a) of Directive 2000/43, that a consideration relating to ethnic origin determined the decision to introduce a difference in treatment (see, to that effect, the judgment in CHEZ Razpredelenie Bulgaria, paragraph 76).

107 In the third place, the mere fact that residents of the transformation areas also include persons who are not ‘immigrants from non-Western countries and their descendants’ is not such as to preclude national legislation such as that at issue in the main proceedings from being held to have been adopted on the basis of ethnic origin (see, to that effect, the judgment in CHEZ Razpredelenie Bulgaria, paragraph 75).

108 Lastly, in the fourth place, the use of the concept of ‘non-Western country’ does not appear to preclude, subject to verification by the referring court, the general criterion of ‘immigrants from non-Western countries and their descendants’ from covering persons whose place of birth and/or the place of birth of their parents is in a ‘Western country’, or persons whose nationality and/or the nationality of their parents is that of such a ‘Western country’.

109 However, such a fact is not, in itself, sufficient to rule out the possibility that the complex combination of criteria referred to in paragraph 100 of the present judgment may lead to a difference in treatment based on ethnic origin.

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 17d

If the defense is that ‘non-Western’ is so generic that it does not signal out specific groups, the Court is clear that “the scope of Directive 2000/43 cannot be limited to combating discrimination against a single ethnic group.”

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 17d

Reminder: this is about development plans designed to reduce the % of public family housing units in residential areas that are characterised, by the fact that, during the last five years, the % of ‘immigrants from non-Western countries and their descendants’ residing in those areas has exceeded 50%

In those circumstances, the answer to the questions referred is that Article 2(2)(a) and (b) of Directive 2000/43 must be interpreted as meaning that national legislation laying down an obligation to adopt development plans designed to reduce the percentage of public family housing units in residential areas that are characterised, inter alia, by the fact that, during the last five years, the proportion of ‘immigrants from non-Western countries and their descendants’ residing in those areas has exceeded 50%:

– constitutes direct discrimination, within the meaning of Article 2(2)(a), in so far as it is established that the adoption of that national legislation is based on the ethnic origin of the majority of the inhabitants of those residential areas and that the effect of that national legislation is that all the inhabitants of those areas are treated less favourably than the inhabitants of residential areas that are comparable, but in which the proportion of ‘immigrants from non-Western countries and their descendants’ has not exceeded 50%;

– constitutes indirect discrimination within the meaning of Article 2(2)(b), in so far as it is established, first, that that national legislation, although ostensibly formulated or applied in a neutral manner, that is to say, having regard to factors other than that of ethnic origin, has the effect of placing persons belonging to certain ethnic groups at a particular disadvantage and, second, that that national legislation does not, for the purpose of attaining the overriding objective in the public interest which it pursues, comply with the principle of proportionality.

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 17d

Needless to say there is plenty in the ruling for further consideration, on what constitutes direct or indirect discrimination.

curia.europa.eu/juris/docume...

CURIA - Documents

curia.europa.eu

Reposted by Steve Peers

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 17d

Agree this ruling appears rather waffly. It’s discrimination if the national court decides it’s discrimination…?

For the purpose of examining whether there may be direct discrimination, it will be for the national court to ascertain whether the criterion relating to the proportion of immigrants and their descendants is truly based on the ethnic origin of the majority of the inhabitants of ‘transformation areas’ and whether, as a result, they suffer less favourable treatment, such as an increased risk of early termination of their leases. If the national court finds that there may be indirect discrimination, it will have to examine whether this is nevertheless justified. It would be for that court, inter alia, to ensure, in that regard, that the law at issue pursues an objective in the public
interest in a proportionate manner and respects, in particular, the fundamental right to respect for the home.

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 17d

👏

Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 17d

CJEU, border controls

🚨 MASSIVE defeat for Frontex in two judgments - the agency is liable if it assists Member States to do pushbacks etc in breach of human rights; rules of evidence are simplified for migrants curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/Jo...

Press release summary of the judgment. Full text in the link

Reposted by Maarten Vink, Aaron Sojourner

Toman Barsbai @tomanbarsbai.com · 17d

📢 Call for papers 📢

Join us for the Bristol Applied Economics Meeting (BÆM) on the Economics of Migration, May 6-7!

Invited talks by Ran Abramitzky, Joan Monras, and Caroline Theoharides.

Submit your paper by Jan 31. Some travel funding is available. baem.info/CfP_MIG_26.pdf

Reposted by Simon Hix, Tim Bale, Maarten Vink , and 3 more Simon Hix, Tim Bale, Maarten Vink, Romain Lachat, Stuart J. Turnbull‐Dugarte, Tom Louwerse

Joris Frese @fresejoris.bsky.social · 17d

🇪🇺🇩🇪 Published Today in @bjpols.bsky.social 🇮🇹🇫🇷

How a voting advice application affected voting behavior in three large-scale field experiments:

shorturl.at/2ekBj

TLDR of our study (with @simonhix.bsky.social & @rlachat.bsky.social) below 👇 1/14

Reposted by United Arab Emirates

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 17d

Not sure what Lebanon is aiming to achieve with 'symbolic' move to grant Infantino Lebanese citizenship.

As a reminder, women cannot pass Lebanese citizenship to their children if the father is foreign. Neither can women pass citizenship to a non-Lebanese husband.

Address these real issues first.

Danyel Reiche @politicsofsports.bsky.social · Nov 26

Congrats to FIFA President Infantino on receiving Lebanese citizenship. Having lived 12 years in Lebanon, I hope he helps improve Lebanese football so more homegrown players reach the national teams.

www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/20...

Lebanon grants citizenship to Fifa chief Gianni Infantino in 'symbolic' move | The National

Lebanese Football Association said the decision was made by President Joseph Aoun

www.thenationalnews.com

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 17d

Check out our latest @globalcit.bsky.social Spotlights newsletter for some great reading under the 🎄.

#MigCitSky
@eui-schuman.bsky.social
@eui-ggp.bsky.social

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 17d

✨ GLOBALCIT 2025 Wrapped 🎁

It's been a busy year at GLOBALCIT❗ Check out our latest Spotlights newsletter to catch up on our activities, major dataset updates📊, publications📚, and discussion fora 💭 from the past year.

📄 Read: tinyurl.com/ydsndzct
📬 Subscribe: tinyurl.com/2nwb36vh

GLOBALCIT Spotlights, December 2025

tinyurl.com

Reposted by Maarten Vink

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 17d

GLOBALCIT Spotlights, December 2025

tinyurl.com

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