After series of talks with the opposition and stakeholders and numerous concerns voiced from abroad, the Maltese government announced significant amendments of its Investor Citizenship Scheme. The overall investment under the new requirements raises to €1,150,000 (from €650,000 under the original proposal), part of which must be invested in real estate and government bonds. The scheme will be administrated by a governmental agency – Identity Malta – and not solely by the private consultant Henley and Partners as initially intended. According to the Prime Minister, the new conditions will create tangible bonds of the newly naturalised citizens with the country. The opposition, which had insisted on a residency requirement, remained unconvinced. 

Read the full story in The Malta Independent, The Times of Malta, and Malta Today. 

Read the Maltese Government’s Press Release (in Maltese) 

 

Consult our earlier news on the growing trend of offering citizenship to foreign investors in EU Member States.

 

‘Should Citizenship be for Sale’? 

Earlier this month, EUDO-CITIZENSHIP launched a new forum debate on these controversial policies. Read the contributions by Ayelet Shachar, Peter Spiro, Raul Magni-Berton, Chris Armstrong, Roxana Barbulescu, Jelena Dzankic, Rainer Bauböck and Paulina Ochoa.