The possibility of Britain's exit from the European Union has led to a significant increase in the number of requests from Britons to obtain Irish passports, writes the London "Independent" today.
According to the data of the Irish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a record number of such requests was recorded in 2015, that is, almost 70.000 of them were submitted in the office of that ministry in London.
On the day when British Prime Minister David Cameron began negotiations in Brussels with the aim of making concessions regarding further British membership in the EU, February 18, the passport service of the Irish Ministry registered the highest number of requests.
Britain's "Guardian" states that the number of adults who were born in England, Scotland or Wales and who are applying for an Irish passport on the basis that their grandparent was born in Ireland increased in 2015 by more than a third compared to in 2014, that is from 379 to 507.
Only Irish citizens can obtain an Irish passport, but Irish citizenship law means that people can also apply for such a document based on marital status, naturalization or descent.
Anyone with one Irish parent, even if born in another country, is automatically eligible for an Irish passport, and anyone whose grandparent was born in Ireland, as well as those born in Northern Ireland, can apply.
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan said last year had been "busy" for the passport service and he expected the number of applications to continue to rise.
Despite the economic upheavals, pro-European sentiment remains strong in Ireland, and the country is not expected to follow in its neighbor's footsteps if Britain votes to leave the 28-member bloc in a referendum scheduled for June 23, "The Independent" concludes.
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