A citizenship consultancy company at the heart of Malta’s golden passports scheme has attacked a European court ruling against the scheme, accusing it of undermining national sovereignty and EU principles. Earlier on Tuesday, the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) said Malta’s citizenship-by-investment programme violates EU law , effectively
Henley & Partners said Tuesday it is disappointed by the characterization of Malta's citizenship programme as an infringement of EU law or a "commercialization" of citizenship, as laid out in today's "highly politicalised judgment" by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Dr Juerg Steffen, CEO of Henley & Partners, says "at the heart of this case lies
Former prime minister Joseph Muscat defended the golden passport he first introduced to Malta, saying it remained the best programme in the world. He described the EU court’s decision as “a political judgment” through which the court knew that the law was not on its side, and based its decision on reasoning that went beyond the law and against the
NGO Repubblika has welcomed a decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) which ruled that Malta’s golden passport scheme has been found to be in violation of European Union law, and called for the immediate termination of the infamous scheme. In a statement on Tuesday, Repubblika referred to the ECJ ruling on Tuesday morning , saying that Malta’s
The news reported by the Financial Times in the UK, that there are individuals who have been sanctioned over Russia's war in the Ukraine who have Maltese passports, is the latest example of why Malta's citizenship by investment scheme should be immediately stopped. The programme has been at the centre of controversy right from the beginning. Malta's
Malta’s controversial golden passport scheme officially violates European Union (EU) law, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has just ruled. The ECJ ruled that by commercialising the acquisition of EU member state nationality, Malta breached the principle that nationality should be rooted in a relationship of “solidarity, good faith, and the reciprocity
A European court has ruled that Malta's golden passports scheme violates EU law. The Court of Justice of the EU ruled that the acquisition of EU citizenship cannot result from a commercial transaction. By establishing and operating the 2020 investor citizenship scheme, which amounts to the commercialisation of the grant EU citizenship, Malta has infringed
Transparency International and the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation said in a statement that today's "landmark" judgment against Malta has put to an end harmful citizenship-by-investment schemes. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled that Malta cannot continue operating its "golden passports" programme, which has allowed foreigners
Malta’s golden passport scheme has been found to be in violation of European Union law, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled on Tuesday morning. The European Commission took Malta to court over its citizenship by investment scheme, which was first launched in 2014, arguing that the sale of Maltese citizenship – and by extension, European citizenship
A European court is set to decide on the legality of Malta’s controversial golden passports scheme today. The European Commission is challenging the scheme before the courts, arguing it violates EU law by granting European citizenship to individuals without them establishing a genuine or prior link with Malta. The sale of citizenship to non-EU nationals