Until now, anyone who invested a lot of money could become a Maltese citizen and thus live and work throughout the EU. The European Court of Justice has now declared this practice illegal.
The sale of Maltese citizenship is illegal. According to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), so-called golden passports violate EU law. A member state cannot grant its citizenship in exchange for payment or investment, because then the acquisition of citizenship becomes a mere commercial transaction.
The EU Commission sued Malta in 2022 for allowing foreigners to obtain Maltese citizenship, which gave them the right to live and work in any EU country, against a payment of at least 600,000 euros.
In addition, those who wanted to obtain citizenship had to buy a property worth at least 700,000 euros or rent an expensive apartment.
EU judges find violation of fundamental principles
Although each EU member state is in principle free to decide under what conditions someone can acquire their citizenship, European law must also be respected, the ECJ explained. If acquiring citizenship becomes a mere business, that is not fair.
Citizenship should be based on the bond and sense of belonging between the citizen and the state, on mutual rights and obligations, and not simply on monetary payments. All EU countries must respect this fundamental principle./ DW (A2 Televizion)
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