Brussels, 13/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - In the afternoon of 15 January 2014, the European Parliament will debate the problem of the sale of EU passports and the related ethics, said the head of the EPP, Joseph Daul, in a press release on Thursday 12 December. The EP Conference of Presidents has given the go-ahead for a debate in January. This debate will focus on the Maltese system of selling EU passports which, since a new law was introduced in November, allows anyone living and working anywhere in the world to legally buy Maltese nationality for €650,000, thus automatically obtaining the right to circulate wherever they want throughout the Schengen Area. Joseph Daul says the scheme seems to be a clear violation of the European citizenship and Schengen rules and, even if the Maltese government were to withdraw the scheme, it was important for the EP to discuss it because European citizenship grants both rights and duties and the duties have to be respected. The debate on 15 January is entitled “European Citizenship Up for Sale”, says the EPP. Other countries, like Portugal, Greece, Spain and Latvia, have also launched similar provisions for acquiring citizenship. (SP/transl.fl)