Lessons of deprivation of individuals' legal status for the future of citizenship

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies
• EGPP: European Governance and Politics Programme
• Eastern Europe as Laboratory of Change Working Group

This lecture will shed light on the administrative measure with which the state authorities of the newly established independent Republic of Slovenia in 1992 deprived over 25.000 individuals − residents of Slovenia, originating from other parts of former Yugoslavia − of their permanent residence status, and the lessons learned for the future of citizenship

The meanings of citizenship span from legal definitions of citizenship as a legal status to sociological notions of belonging and inclusion. The case of "Erased" people of Slovenia, which became internationally known through the 2012 European Court of Human Rights case Kurič and others v. Slovenia, is interesting from all these perspectives. However, due to the passage of time, the Erased are no longer mentioned as a negative historical example of exclusion and deprivation of legal status. In this lecture, the "Erasure" refers to the administrative measure with which the state authorities of the newly established independent Republic of Slovenia in 1992 deprived over 25.000 individuals − residents of Slovenia, originating from other parts of former Yugoslavia, of their permanent residence status. The lecture will highlight this case, explain the remedies taken to correct the constitutional wrongs suffered by the people concerned, and inform the audience about the lessons learned for the future of citizenship.