Offering citizenship as a form of atonement is common. Austria, which normally restricts dual nationality, now allows descendants of Jews who were expelled, or fled, during the 1930s and 1940s to claim a passport. A similar right can be found in Germany, where it is embedded in the country’s constitution. Spain goes back even further, allowing descendants of Sephardic Jews kicked out in the 15th century to reclaim Spanish citizenship. (Descendants of Muslims kicked out in the same period have no such luck.)
将提供公民身份作为一种赎罪方式是很常见的。奥地利通常限制双重国籍，现在允许20世纪30年代至40年代被驱逐或逃亡的犹太人的后代申领护照。在德国也能发现类似的权利，这一权利被载入德国宪法中。西班牙甚至可以追溯回更远的过去，他们允许15世纪被驱逐的西班牙犹太人的后裔重新获得西班牙国籍。
A few countries take the opposite path and hoard their passports. Along with Austria, the Netherlands and Germany both have strict rules on dual-nationals from outside the EU. In the days when citizens were regularly conscripted to butcher their neighbours, restrictions on dual citizenship made sense. Now they seem outdated, serving only to leave immigrants—who may not want to give up their other nationality—as perpetual outsiders.
一些国家则背道而驰，他们严格控制护照。与奥地利一样，荷兰和德国对来自欧盟以外的双重国籍都有严格的规定。在公民经常被征召去屠杀邻邦人民的时代，对双重国籍的限制是合理的。但现在这样的限制似乎已经过时了，只会让那些不想放弃其他国籍的移民成为永久的外来者。
If passports can be seen either as a commodity or political tool, on the one hand, or a life-long civic commitment on the other, devising common rules for handing them out is close to impossible. Although member states are happy to slam Malta and Cyprus, they do not appreciate criticism of how they themselves distribute citizenship. Some may balk at the idea of limiting dual nationality. Others may be uncomfortable with the unknown size of the Irish and Italian diasporas who could turn up as EU citizens. How countries seek to atone for the Holocaust is a deeply inappropriate question for an EU ruling. A clear definition of who qualifies for an EU passport is the obvious next step for any passport-selling ban; it is also a nightmare.
如果护照既可以被视为一种商品或政治工具，另一方面又可以被视为一种终生的公民承诺，那么几乎不可能制定出签发护照的共同规则。尽管欧盟各成员国乐于抨击马耳他和塞浦路斯，但它们并不乐于接受对自己分配公民身份方式的批评。有些国家可能会对限制双重国籍的想法犹豫不决。其他国家可能会对爱尔兰和意大利散居海外，并可能成为欧盟公民的人数不详而感到不安。由欧盟裁决各国寻求赎罪的方式也是非常不适宜的问题。明确界定谁有资格申请欧盟护照，显然是任何护照销售禁令的下一步；这也会是一场噩梦。
An Al Capone approach may be enough for the EU to crack down on the current schemes operated by Malta and Cyprus. Rather than stop them from selling passports outright, Brussels could pursue them via money-laundering legislation and make life difficult for the dodgier newcomers. But a determined state—and some canny lawyers—could keep the golden passport trade going. Granting citizenship is a huge power and member states are unlikely to give it up. That means they will probably have to tolerate their neighbours selling passports to plutocrats.
对于欧盟来说，阿尔·卡彭式的方法足以用来打击马耳他和塞浦路斯实施的现行计划。与其直接阻止这两个国家出售护照，布鲁塞尔不如通过反洗钱立法对它们进行追查，让可疑的新来者生活更加艰难。但一个坚定的国家和一些精明的律师可以让黄金护照交易继续下去。授予公民身份是一项巨大的权力，成员国不太可能放弃这项权力。这意味着他们可能不得不容忍邻国向富豪出售护照。
译文由可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载。
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