The Maltese citizenship-by-investment programme, also known as the “golden passport”, is under the spotlight once again, after new leaked documents sent to the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation were revealed on Thursday 22 April by several media, including the Guardian and the Times of Malta.
The documents show how Malta actually grants Maltese passports to foreign investors, without requiring them to have a “genuine link” with the country—the requirement to reside for at least 1 year on the island is far from being met by all.
Among the documents analysed are several hundred letters from investors wishing to acquire the Maltese passport, but indicating that they do not intend to reside in the country at all or only for a few days. E-mails and other documents also show how some candidates were given preferential treatment by getting meetings with the then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.
“Granting of EU citizenship for pre-determined payments or investments without any genuine link with the Member States concerned, undermines the essence of EU citizenship and violates EU law”, a Commission spokesperson said on Thursday.
In October 2020, the European Commission launched infringement proceedings against Malta and Cyprus over their citizenship by investment programmes (see EUROPE 12585/12).
For the time being, the two countries have only received letters of formal notice, but the European Commission will not hesitate to take the next steps in the procedure if necessary, according to the spokesperson. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)