Kaspars, who lives in London, is convinced: Lithuania cannot be allowed to lose at least 1,000 citizens every year

Kaspars Steponavičiis, who has been living in London for several years, cares about how and what people live in Lithuania. He went to England with a desire for scientific knowledge, but even in British everyday life he never forgot his native country. Now he is the vice-chairman of the City of London Lithuanian Club.

As the referendum on the preservation of citizenship approaches, the most important task, according to K. Steponavičius, is to call compatriots to come and express their civic duty. He is convinced that if there was a possibility to preserve citizenship, maybe we would not be talking about Lithuania as about 2.5 million people. population country, and how about 4 million population country. But now, according to the vice-chairman of the City of London Lithuanian Club, we lose more than a thousand Lithuanians a year.

K. Steponavičius says that his emigration story is quite ordinary.

“After finishing school, I looked for “bitter” scientific roots abroad. I wanted bigger challenges. That’s how I decided to study in the United Kingdom. After my studies, I stayed here because of the career opportunities that would perhaps “open up” slightly different horizons compared to what I could get in Lithuania at that time”, says the interviewer.

He says that he has been living in the UK for almost nine years now.

“However, despite the fact that my studies and career began here, abroad, Lithuania also remains on my horizon. I am not moving away from my home country either personally or as the vice-chairman of the club”, K. Steponavičius is happy.

A Lithuanian living in London says that he constantly maintains relations with Lithuania by preparing charitable initiatives, as well as by cooperating for other purposes.

The preservation of Lithuanianness, even while living in the United Kingdom, is very important to K. Steponavičius.

“This is a question of community, related to common cultural identity and traditions. It is natural to see people who move from Lithuania, but very quickly join Lithuanian communities and professional clubs. They do this to stay connected, to have a community around them that may have grown up with similar experiences and challenges. This is how people can help and support each other,” the interlocutor is convinced.

Still, he is still surprised by people who spend 10-15 years abroad and only then decide to get involved in community activities.

“This proves that the connection with Lithuania does not disappear. Maybe there are just different forms of communication. Some join communities, others limit themselves to connections with family remaining in Lithuania, but are interested in the news of their home country and follow events. The reasons why people join communities can be very diverse,” emphasizes K. Steponavičius.

However, according to him, the pursuit of community is usually the cause that unites people. Also, Lithuanians living abroad are naturally interested in the development and future of their native country. Some are considering returning to Lithuania.

Almost all Lithuanians living abroad are looking forward to the upcoming citizenship preservation referendum. K. Steponavičius says that Lithuanians living in London often discuss among themselves that this referendum is important for the direction of Lithuania itself.

“The question arises whether we will be a shrinking state, or perhaps we will become more open and modern.” Maybe out of 2.5 million the country’s population will become 4 million in the country of the population”, he thinks.

Last year, Lithuanians created initiative groups in the United Kingdom. They also actively cooperate with international Lithuanian organizations.

“Using both local and global organizations, we have developed a strategy that includes communication about the publicity of the referendum. As you can see, publicity is much easier in Lithuania. Lithuanians abroad are scattered among other inhabitants of the planet. Therefore, it is natural that the dissemination of information about the referendum is the biggest challenge we face,” the interlocutor is convinced.

K. Steponavičius says that the 2019 referendum showed that the attitude of Lithuanians is very clear. However, the problem arises due to the huge bar set on the number of persons entitled to vote, because the aim is to change Article 12 of the Constitution. More than 50 eligible voters must vote for it.

A Lithuanian living in London says that their most important goal at the moment has become the task of reaching as many Lithuanians living abroad as possible.

“We start with social media campaigns, we distribute flyers. We aim to push the boundaries of people who are not actively involved in community activities. We aim to “cast” that net widely, encouraging you to express your opinion and, above all, to register to vote”, says K. Steponavičius.

A Lithuanian living in London currently works in the field of engineering. He says that he does not face any problems as a non-UK citizen, but if he worked in, for example, the public sector or defense industries, things would be more complicated.

“There are areas where the passport and the name of the country on it can make a big difference. It doesn’t affect me personally. However, having or not having citizenship can really have a significant impact on a person’s career path,” says the interviewer.

K. Steponavičius says that when he went to study in the United Kingdom, it was still part of the European Union. At that time, citizens of the European Union could enjoy low education prices and the possibility of obtaining a loan.

“Comparing the current situation, Lithuanians who want to study in the United Kingdom have to pay at least two and a half times higher tuition fees compared to citizens of the country, and they also cannot use any of the financing services that the United Kingdom provides to its citizens,” he says. he.

According to him, there are areas that are restricted if you are stateless. It can be science, starting a business. Without citizenship, one “door” closes completely, while another is forced hard.

A few years ago, K. Steponavičius was the chairman of the Lithuanian Youth Union of the United Kingdom.

“During that experience, it was very interesting to see how people who are Lithuanian, but were born in the United Kingdom, in Lithuanian families, join our community. We are already seeing a generational change. Since the time when the borders “opened”, a new generation has grown up. Such people spent very little time in Lithuania, perhaps only holidays. However, it is natural that such people are looking for community, they are looking for Lithuanianness, they are joining the activities of communities”, – a Lithuanian living in London shares his experience.

He says that currently a child born outside of Lithuania can have dual citizenship. But the parents of such a child cannot. According to the interviewer, this is an interesting exception.

“But she is good. We have to try to keep people, try to have a connection with them. However, at the same time, this exception is an injustice. Parents who seek to retain their Lithuanian identity, perhaps send their children to Lithuanian schools, cannot have such an opportunity and preserve the citizenship of their native country, even if they want to acquire the citizenship of a country friendly to Lithuania,” K. Steponavičius points out.

Currently, those people who want to acquire the citizenship of the country where they live must renounce the citizenship of their native country, ie Lithuania. This, the interlocutor is convinced, is an injustice.

A Lithuanian living in London claims that even without citizenship he can nurture Lithuanian traditions and values. Also, according to him, those who have citizenship will not necessarily appreciate the culture of their home country, but will be interested in it.

“These are two different things. However, having citizenship really makes you feel more Lithuanian. If we were to ask those Lithuanians who were stripped of their citizenship, I think we would hear that some of them feel disappointed, while others feel betrayed. Naturally, citizenship is not the same as nationality. However, the loss of citizenship will definitely affect the network of global ambassadors in the future”, the interlocutor is convinced.

According to him, Lithuania is not a nation that can afford to lose so many citizens every year. After all, these people simply prefer a modern life that is spread across several countries, but they also seek to maintain contact with Lithuania.

K. Steponavičius says that the loss of citizenship forces Lithuanians to face the possibility of bureaucratic difficulties.

“After acquiring the passport of another country, if that country is not a member of the European Union, you can no longer easily travel to Lithuania. It becomes more difficult for you to buy a house, get banking services, start a business. A lot of bureaucratic problems arise if citizenship is lost,” the interviewer emphasizes.

In his opinion, it is natural that bureaucratic obstacles complicate the very possibility of fostering national identity. People are beginning to feel that their home country makes it difficult for them to maintain contact and contribute to Lithuania’s future.

“Lithuanians in London are currently living in a working mood. But it’s great to see so many dedicated people both in the UK and abroad. I would like to congratulate all the communities that contribute to the success of the referendum and that people actively register and express their civic opinion”, says K. Steponavičius.

According to the interviewer, in 2019 the outcome of the referendum was decided by the people who did not come to it. Even 45 percent those with the right to vote simply did not participate in the referendum.

“At the moment, all attention is focused on the upcoming elections and the referendum. We aim to gather foreign Lithuanians and tell them why this is important”, emphasizes the Lithuanian living in London.