The European Court of Justice nullifies the possibility of obtaining an EU passport through investment in Malta.
The European Court of Justice ruled that Malta must refrain from granting passports to wealthy foreigners who wish to purchase EU citizenship.
The European Commission had filed a complaint against Malta in this court because Malta was giving ‘golden passports’ in exchange for an investment of about 1.1 million dollars and residency, thereby making them EU citizens.
The court emphasized that all EU countries have the right to grant citizenship, but Malta’s passport program, by reducing the process of acquiring citizenship to a mere commercial transaction, violated EU laws.
