South Cyprus and Malta now have 2 months to take the necessary measures to address the European Commission’s “golden passport” concerns. In the case of South Cyprus, if the answer is unsatisfactory, the Commission may appeal to the Court. This is included in its decision, noting that South Cyprus has canceled its program and stopped receiving new applications on November 1, 2020, but continues to process pending applications.
The Commission has decided to take further action in infringement proceedings against South Cyprus and Malta in connection with their investors’ citizenship plans, also referred to as “gold passport” schemes.
The Commission considers that with the establishment and operation of investor citizenship schemes, which offer citizenship in exchange for predetermined payments and investments, these two Member States are not fulfilling their obligations under the principle of sincere cooperation (Article 4 (3) TEU) and the definition of citizenship of the Union as defined in the Treaties (Article 20 TFEU).
While South Cyprus and Malta remain responsible for deciding who can become Cypriot and Maltese, the Court has made it clear in many cases that the rules for acquiring citizenship of a Member State must take due account of EU law.
The Commission initiated these infringement proceedings against South Cyprus and Malta by sending warning letters in October 2020.
While South Cyprus has scrapped its schedule and stopped receiving new applications on November 1, 2020, it continues to process pending applications.
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Therefore, today the Commission decided to take the next step in the process against South Cyprus by issuing a reasoned opinion.
The Commission considers that the concerns expressed in the warning letter were not addressed by South Cyprus.
Both Member States now have 2 months to take the necessary steps to address the Commission’s concerns. In the case of South Cyprus, if the answer is unsatisfactory, the Commission may appeal to the Court.
https://cypriumnews.com/2021/06/08/south-cyprus-government-broke-its-own-laws-countless-times-in-granting-passports-inquiry/
https://cypriumnews.com/2021/06/08/golden-passports-political-and-criminal-responsibilities/
