Briefing
Alberto Núñez Feijóo announced in Madrid on 15 September 2026 that the Partido Popular was working on a bill to revise the acquisition, retention and, where applicable, loss of Spanish nationality in the Código Civil According to Feijóo, the initiative aims to strip naturalised citizens of their nationality if they “belong to a criminal or terrorist organisation” or repeatedly commit serious offences, including sexual violence or intentional homicide. Feijóo has not yet specified the offences or procedural safeguards.
The Gobierno immediately objected: representatives of the executive said during a meeting of the Consejo de Ministros that interference with nationality status is subject to strict constitutional limits and that the prohibition on statelessness and EU law must be respected. The minister Óscar Puente criticised the announcement on political and legal grounds, pointed to the need for judicial oversight and warned against blanket rules that could distinguish between naturalised and native-born citizens.
Constitutional law experts, who regularly comment on such questions in Spain stress that loss of nationality would be permissible only under strict conditions, with individual assessment, judicial review and clear safeguards against statelessness. It would also be necessary to establish which laws beyond the Código Civil would need amendment; experts cite immigration law and procedural rules, as well as possible reviews before the Tribunal Supremo and the European Court of Justice.
Politically, Feijóo’s proposal is part of the debates on migration and the so-called Ley de Nietoswhich has already sparked disputes over access to nationality. Whether and when the Partido Popular will submit a formal bill to the Cortes remains unclear. Until a specific, legally robust text is presented, key questions about the rule of law, comparability and practical implementation remain unresolved.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).