Introduction
Legal developments in several countries — Sweden among them — point to a growing willingness by governments to tighten the conditions for acquiring citizenship and, more critically, to limit its protections. Ultimately, such measures risk creating or exacerbating statelessness. A recent Swedish government inquiry, proposing a constitutional amendment that would allow for the revocation of citizenship, is a case in point. But what does it mean to be stateless? Despite its relevance, statelessness remains surprisingly vague in both legal and political discourse. In Sweden, the current view appears to be overly formal: statelessness is narrowly defined as the lack of citizenship. However, statelessness can also be understood as a condition. The overly formal approach therefore risks substantial rights deprivations for individuals affected. Both the concept and the legal status of being stateless deserve more critical attention in legislative debates and in legal doctrine.
