EU citizenship and loss of Member States nationality

Abstract: This Article addresses questions concerning the loss of Member State nationality and the possible implications for EU citizenship. The Author first revisits Rottmann (Court of Justice, judgment of 2 March 2010, case C-135/08) and reflects on the limitations that EU places on decisions of Member States to deprive a person of his/her nationality. In addition, the contribution considers whether the Rottmann case law, and the logic underpinning it, can be extended to situations in which Member State nationality is lost as a result of a decision of a Member State to withdraw from the Union. Having answered the latter question in the negative – for UK nationals Brexit implies loss of EU citizenship – the author briefly discusses the recent proposal to introduce an associate EU citizenship for nationals of former Member States.