WATCH | Grech says golden passport scheme should ensure applicants are 'proud to be Maltese'

PN leader Bernard Grech has pledged that a government led by him would operate a golden passport scheme that would ensure applicants are “proud to be Maltese.”

Doorstepped outside parliament on Monday, Grech stated that citizenship through investment “should not be a simple transaction of money.”

Last week, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Malta’s golden passport scheme infringes EU law and amounts to “the commercialisation of the grant of nationality of a member state,” and by extension, EU citizenship.

Malta’s golden passport scheme was launched in 2014 and gave wealthy individuals the chance to obtain Maltese, and by extension EU citizenship in exchange for hefty payments and investments. 

Throughout its lifetime, more than 5,000 people were given Maltese citizenship through the programme, and generated over €1.4 billion.

On Monday, opposition leader Bernard Grech said that it is unacceptable that applicants for citizenship by investments insist on keeping their status as Maltese citizens hidden from the public.

Another condition for the programme according to Grech is that applicants must strengthen, not tarnish Malta’s reputation. 

Crucially, Grech explained that applicants must have a “genuine” link to Malta. “You cannot create that genuine link by pretending to live in the country,” he stated.