The European Commission is taking Malta to the European Court of Justice for issuing so-called “golden passports”. The Commission believes that issuing such EU citizens “in exchange for pre-determined payments or investments with no real connection to the country concerned” is not compatible with European Union principles, the authority said on Thursday.
The procedure before the ECJ is the next step in the so-called infringement procedure, which can lead to a fine against Malta. Granting citizenship and residence permits is a matter for individual EU countries, but the European Commission sees a risk in this. The regulation poses “serious risks, especially with regard to security, money laundering, tax evasion and corruption”. The reason for this is that those affected can move freely in the Schengen area, among other things.
Bulgaria and Cyprus have already stopped awarding
The European Commission had already started proceedings against Malta in 2020. Due to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Malta has already suspended regulations for Russian and Belarusian citizens. According to the European Commission, this is a step in the right direction. Nevertheless, Malta still grants the “golden passports” to citizens of other countries.
This makes the island state the only EU country that still applies such a scheme. Bulgaria and Cyprus have already stopped issuing “golden passports” under pressure from the European Commission.
Source: Krone
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