European Commission takes Malta to court over 'golden passport' scheme

The European Commission has decided to refer Malta to the Court of Justice of the European Union for its investor citizenship scheme or so-called golden passports.  The Commission said in a statement on 29 September it considers that granting EU citizenship in return for pre-determined payments or investments without any genuine link to the Member State concerned is not compatible with the principle of sincere cooperation enshrined in Article 4(3) of the Treaty on European Union, and with the concept of Union citizenship, as provided for in Article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of ...