EU, Immigration, International, News

EU: Rich Migrants NOT Welcome!

Posted by Europe correspondent on

Strasbourg 05.05.2025 The so-called “Golden Passports” issued by the Maltese authorities have been ruled in breach of the EU law by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. The decision was declared in the end of April, and received some reactions of astonishment, especially taking into consideration the Trump administration programme of attracting wealthy citizens to the U.S. in a similar plan of granting citizenship to migrants, who will invest $5M in American economy.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

“You have a green card, this is a gold card,” President Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office, referring to permanent residents who are not citizens in the U.S. are usually referred to as “green card” holders.
“It’s going to give you green card privileges plus it’s going to be a route to (American) citizenship,” he added. This plan is aimed to attract wealthy, and entrepreneurial individuals to contribute to American economy.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

On contrary in the EU the judges have decided that the citizenship of an EU member state cannot be granted in exchange for investment. The Court thus reacted positively to the EU-Commission’s lawsuit against Malta where until nowadays, it was possible to receive citizenship by investing at least €600,000 in Maltese economy for any national. The decisions were taken on individual basis after the relevant procedures, establishing the profile of the applicant.

This EU judges ruling came just a day after an investigative report of the Financial Times revealing that some Russian nationals received the Maltese citizenship years ago before the Russia-Ukraine war via in the official Maltese investment plan.

Albert Avdolyan is one of seven who had received citizenship by Malta, and who a decade later were hit with sanctions by the EU, U.S. in the context of the Russian invasion.
At least one of the passports has been subsequently revoked, according to the sources of the Financial Times. All these passports to Russians were issues almost a decade before the Kremlin decision to invade Ukraine, in the other era of the EU-Russia relations, long before the 2022 dramatic developments in Ukraine.

Malta’s citizenship-by-investment scheme – which is nicknamed as a ‘golden passport’ scheme – was introduced in 2014 under the umbrella of the Individual Investor Programme, with the wealthy being able to receive the Maltese citizenship for around one million, including the property commitments.

The Green party MEPs in the European Parliament have long been campaigning against granting the EU passports and visas to the wealthy individuals via the investment plans. The Commission’s legal action against Malta was, in part, a result of a considerable pressure from the Greens, who are ardent defenders of mass migration from the poorest countries, suffering from conflicts.

In light of the recent revelations and the Court’s decision, the Greens are now calling for a plenary debate on “Golden Passports” to be added to May European Parliament agenda.

“At last, the European Court of Justice is drawing a clear line: the EU is not a marketplace for citizenship. European passports are a symbol of our shared values — not a commodity to be bought.
“It is unacceptable that criminals, autocrats, and even terrorists were able to gain access to the EU through so-called Golden Passports. This must stop — everywhere in Europe” said Daniel Freund, Co-Chair of the European Parliament’s Anti-Corruption Intergroup.
“The fact that Russian citizens could use this route to circumvent EU sanctions is a scandal and undermines our credibility. We need a full and enforceable ban on these practices — in the name of security, the rule of law, and the integrity of our Union.”

While the Greens, and the Judges are demonstrated concern over a group of 16 wealthy Russians in the same period of past decade thirty million immigrants, mostly illegal, arrived in Europe, straining the Continent’s already overstretched and largely dysfunctional immigration system.
In 2023 alone some four-and-a-half million immigrants entered Europe—three-and-a-half million legally, one million illegally.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Illegal migrants entering Europe in 2023 came predominantly from Africa and the Middle East, with Syria the leading country of origin, followed by West Africans and Afghans.

“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God”  Matthew 19:24. 

However this is valid for Malta only. NB! 

 

</s

Anna van Densky from Strasbourg

Unknown's avatar

Published by Europe correspondent

journalist

Leave a comment