EU Top Court Rules 'Golden Passport' Schemes Are Illegal

Fuente: International Business Times

Malta said it would abide by the ruling, but regarded past 'golden passports' as still valid AFP "Golden passport" schemes for deep-pocketed foreign investors violate European Union law, the bloc's highest court ruled on Tuesday, after a legal challenge against Malta by Brussels. The European Commission had taken Malta to the top court in 2022 over its programme, which allows non-Europeans to effectively buy Maltese -- and therefore EU -- citizenship through defined payments or investments. "The acquisition of Union citizenship cannot result from a commercial transaction," the EU's Court of Justice said, ruling that Malta had infringed EU law.