30.04.2025 10:32
The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Malta's 'citizenship by investment' scheme should come to an end. The court stated that the commercialization of citizenship is contrary to EU treaties.
The EU's highest court ruled on September 29, 2022, that Malta must end its practice of distributing golden passports in a case brought by the European Commission.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) decided that Malta could not continue its 'citizenship by investment' scheme, commonly known as 'golden passports.' According to the reasoned judgment, the court found that 'the commercialization of the status of being a citizen of a member state, and thus Union citizenship, is incompatible with the fundamental concept of status arising from the EU Treaties.'
The court stated that payment does not constitute a fundamental criterion for granting citizenship. Thus, the legal pathway to becoming an EU citizen through monetary means has been closed.