One of the weaknesses of the European Union is that individual member states have the power to essentially pass laws and impose the consequences on the remaining members of the union. Such is the case with Malta, who has decided to sell rights to a Maltese passport (which equates to free travel in Europe) for the significant sum of 650,000 Euros.
Malta joined the European Union in 2004 and by default joined the Schengen Treaty, where people can travel without customs and border checks between member states. Four years later Malta adopted the Euro as its currency. This means that a Maltese Passport holder can, in addition to living in Malta, travel between the other 28 countries that are effectively in the Schengen without passport and customs checks, and take up residence in any European Union country.
The idea of selling citizenship or residency is hardly new. The difference here is that the Maltese are recruiting hard cash for essentially nothing. The fear is that terrorists, fugitives etc. with enough money can buy themselves low hassle travel and European residency.
Malta itself is 120 square miles with 450,000 people and as such has low long-term appeal for non-natives. Thus the Prime Minister’s assertions that the programme will attract a lot of investment capital is at best naïve and at worst quite corrupt.
Initially the left-leaning government of Joseph Muscat was offering the passports with a confidentiality promise. Following conservative protests this has been retracted with Mr. Muscat promising that these passports will not be sold without the identities being known and that screening will take place to avoid criminals and terrorists. It remains to be seen how effective that will be by a nation with the same population as Long Beach, California.
What will not be avoided are family members. Whereas the primary applicant pays full-price, citizenship can be purchased for any immediate family member for the reduced cost of just 25,000 Euros. The question then also becomes whether an undesirable applicant can be shielded by entering as a close relative.
Greece, Hungary and Spain are already offering a residency permit that allows free movement within the Schengen for some steep fees and as a result, circumvent the strict EU rules on asylum and immigration as does Malta. But actual residency is restricted to the issuing country.
The UK has its investor programme which 470 people took advantage of last year with about half being Russian and Chinese. However Britain does take a look at these individuals, and requires internal investment of £1 million - £5 million with a promise of legal residency in 2-5 years depending on the investment amount. Other major European countries have a similar plan.
The enterprising Caribbean island of Nevis makes citizenship available for a significant investment on the bi-federational island. This six-figure amount, about half what the Maltese require, just happens to coincide with the price of moderately priced condos and villas on the island. But whereas as Nevis citizenship will get you on the island, it won’t get you residency in any other places.
The implications for major European countries are clear. The policy makes a mockery of the Schengen because the standards of entry to a member country are no longer equal. This was why Britain and Ireland wisely steered clear of membership because lesser developed and immature European members can’t be trusted to enforce appropriate immigration controls.
Given how problematic this will be for the EU as a whole you would think that safeguards exist to prevent such a thing. But the remarkable simplicity of utopian Euro thinkers demonstrates that they just never considered this possibility.
The European government should move quickly to close the loopholes that threaten its stability. But time has already shown that the politicians are unwilling to do the right thing if it means upsetting the politically correct approach.
Malta is too small to embark on such a concept that leaves it open to the influences of large ‘donors’. It will only be a matter of time before the politicians have been bought out and selfish interests are running the country with an eye on influencing EU policy. While its sovereignty may remain its precious freedoms are being prostituted.
The islands have a long rich history and have endured much suffering to arrive as a sovereign state in 1964. Following the Biblical encounter with Paul the Apostle, they endured Muslim occupation for centuries before Norman liberation in 1091. As an opponent of the axis powers in World War Two the nation was later decorated by the British for its bravery.
It will be a sad end if this country ends up selling itself out to the highest bidder, subsequently controlled by a few wealthy foreign interests who had no interest in the island nation itself, but simply in what it gave them access too.
