09/06/2021 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 9 June, the European Commission decided to move on to the next steps in the EU law infringement proceedings initiated in October 2020 (see EUROPE 12585/12) against Cyprus and Malta over their citizenship-by-investment programmes, known as “golden passports”. The Commission has decided to send a reasoned opinion to Cyprus, arguing that the country has not addressed the concerns expressed in its letter of formal notice. It explains that although Cyprus ended its programme and stopped receiving new applications on 1 November 2020 (see EUROPE 12580/32), the country continues to process pending applications. It has decided to send a additional letter of formal notice to Malta, regarding the new Maltese system, which was introduced at the end of 2020. The two Member States now have two months to take the necessary steps to address the concerns raised by the Commission. (MF)