MEP Pascal Arimont (PPE) has asked the European Commission whether university admission procedures that impose additional administrative burdens on dual citizens of two EU member states violate EU law. In a written question submitted on 12 June 2026, Arimont cited a case where a Belgian-German dual national was required to have his Belgian school-leaving qualification recognised by German authorities before enrolling at a German university, while a Belgian citizen without German nationality would have the qualification accepted automatically. Arimont argues this creates a paradoxical disadvantage for dual citizens, undermining the principle of free movement and the single market.
whether the Commission considers such admission practices compliant with EU law, how it assesses them in light of cross-border educational mobility, and to what extent it plans to address the issue in the forthcoming Skills Portability Initiative. The MEP frames the problem as a barrier to transnational mobility, particularly in border regions, and calls for a clear legal assessment from the Commission.
Under Parliament rules, the Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. The answer will signal whether the EU executive views this as a matter for member states or a potential infringement of EU free movement rights. The question targets a specific regulatory gap: the treatment of dual citizens as 'domestic' students subject to national recognition rules, rather than as EU citizens benefiting from mutual recognition of qualifications. If the Commission takes up the issue, it could lead to guidance or legislative action in the Skills Portability Initiative, affecting university admission procedures across the bloc and reducing administrative burdens for mobile students.