The EU's Court of Justice ruled Maltaâs citizenship by investment scheme violated EU law, emphasizing that nationalities cannot be obtained through commercial transactions. The court stated that while member states have the authority to grant nationality, this must align with EU laws. The program allowed wealthy non-Europeans, particularly from Russia and China, to purchase Maltese citizenship, thereby gaining EU rights. As other nations, such as Cyprus and Bulgaria, abandoned similar schemes amidst EU pressures, Malta's practices also drew scrutiny for undermining cooperation among member states. Following the Ukraine invasion, Malta halted applications from certain nationalities.
A member state cannot grant its nationality -- and indeed European citizenship -- in exchange for predetermined payments or investments, as this essentially amounts to rendering the acquisition of nationality a mere commercial transaction.
The Maltese scheme infringes the principle of sincere cooperation and jeopardises the mutual trust between member states concerning the grant of their nationality.
Collection
[
|
...
]