The European Court of Justice has ruled that Malta’s golden passport programme must come to an end, as it infringes on EU law. The scheme allowed wealthy foreigners to buy citizenship in exchange for a 1 million euro investment, but the court said this undermined the principle of mutual trust between EU member states.
In 2022, the European Commission took Malta to court over the scheme, which had generated over 1.4 billion euros since its launch in 2015. The commission argued that citizenship should not be bought or sold like a commercial transaction.
Malta respects the ruling and is studying how to adjust its citizenship rules accordingly. However, the EU welcomed the decision, reiterating that “European citizenship is not for sale.”
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-top-court-rules-against-maltas-golden-passport-scheme-2025-04-29