I trust the European Commission has taken note of the Maltese prime minister’s assertion to Bloomberg that Malta will be selling passports

Published: October 7, 2013 at 3:49pm

Joseph Muscat, so defensive, sarcastic and hostile with Maltese journalists, is completely unguarded with journalists from the world news agencies who speak directly to his ego.

Bloomberg’s question was about RESIDENCY – ‘Are you interested in encouraging Chinese to seek residency in Malta?’

Muscat responded by spilling over with something that the interviewer had not asked him about, but which was clearly at the forefront of his mind: selling residency, and “even citizenship”.

An address in Malta, residence in Malta, comes at a premium. So we are not into selling this right cheap. We have limited space in our country so we have to choose people carefully, no matter what nation they come from. In the next few months we will be issuing what I believe will be new exciting programs on residency and even citizenship. Again, due diligence and choosing the right type of person will be paramount.

Outright sale of citizenship is illegal in the European Union. Malta cannot sell its passports because those passports are EU passports.

Malta cannot sell citizenship because Maltese citizenship is EU citizenship.

There are some specific situations in which high net worth individuals may be given citizenship in return for investment, but this remains highly controversial because it is open to exploitation without proper scrutiny.

I trust the European Commission will pick up on this immediately and respond appropriately with an examination of the government’s “new exciting programmes on citizenship”, at least internally, even if our newspapers will insist on pretending that these things are not happening, talking instead about cyber-bullying and lampuki pies taken off the market in England.




21 Comments Comment

  1. Jozef says:

    Setting up a scheme to sell residency and citizenship, in exchange for contributions to the party coffers.

    Ensuring the future of any investment remains in the ‘right’ hands.

    Who decides who’s eligible for citizenship? What criteria?

  2. SPAM says:

    Latvia had this ‘brilliant’ idea of selling residency for a million euros. It brought in money, yes, but also some really shady characters.

    http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/analytics/?doc=81048

  3. Bubu says:

    Isn’t this the same reason that irregular immigrants cannot just be granted Maltese citizenship and hence freedom of movement within Shengen?

  4. ciccio says:

    “Choosing the right type of person will be paramount.”

    Shiv Nair will be doing the choosing: Maltese passports for Tajikistani and Georgian oligarchs.

    Muscat was against EU citizenship, but like a true amoral pragmatist, he going to sell it.

    Unbelievable?

    Only too believable – it’s totally in character.

  5. sv says:

    He’s trying his utmost to get Malta out of the EU.

    [Daphne – You know, I doubt that. Malta has no value to China outside the EU. What’s the point of buying a Maltese passport unless it’s also an EU passport?]

    • Unbennant says:

      Muscat nags on against African migrants then allows the Chinese to barge right in and take over.

      • ken il malti says:

        He figures he and his gang can make money with the Chinese.
        Africans are a losing proposition unless we can turn the clock 200 years back in time, then they might be worth something.

  6. Jozef says:

    I think Enemalta workers can guess what Mrs.Mizzi shall be doing.

    Here’s the future.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGMXBnlukHY

    If Muscat’s target is to inflate employment figures, why not?

  7. Fat Bustard says:

    I don’t believe he is trying to get Malta out of the EU. I just think that Muscat is arrogant enough to actually believe the EU will permit him to twist the rules as much as he wants to without upbraiding him when he steps over the line.

    He has already tried it on with pushbacks, probably not anticipating the fierce and immediate reaction.

    To be honest, I am dying to see this happen because all bullies need a good bollocking every now and again.

  8. Pandora says:

    The Prime Minister is literally pimping Malta.

  9. Adrian says:

    With every day that passes I am more ashamed that my country is being run by these people.

  10. Freedom5 says:

    Please remind me who is the leader of the opposition ?

  11. Osservatore says:

    When will Muscat realise that apart from the rights and perks that come with being PM, he also has some very serious obligations that go way beyond the fulfilment of a political manifesto? When will he and his cronies realise theirs is not ownerhsip but stewardship, and selling Malta is not within their rights.

    • M. Cassar says:

      ‘Obligatons’ when did obligations ever feature in the PL mantra? It has always warned against ‘the rich who exploit the poor’, ‘the colonizer who drank our blood’ etc etc. They always relied on embedding the idea that the PL was the protector while every one else was out to skin the Maltese.

      Just as you do not really get the sexy woman when you buy the car in the advert, you do not get a better life from those who have used every marketing tactic imaginable to convince you that they are the better option so you gave them your vote.

      If we did not have to live these interesting times, it would be a great experiment to see how far this delusion of better days can be spun. But of course the benefits of the experiment, its results and implications. are always for the researcher and never for the mice.

  12. Gladio says:

    Malta’s Chinese sweatshop operates under the name of Leisure Clothing. It has been operating since Labour’s golden years with a mix of local workers (minority) and a large amount of Chinese slave workers. Whereas the local workers used to work the normal forty hour week the Chinese used to work long hours including Saturday’s, Sundays and public holidays as well. Whereas the local workers conditions of work were safeguarded by GWU the Chinese workers had no protection at all, It is ironic that GWU did nothing to stop the exploitation of Chines workers. http://www.leisureclothingmalta.com/history.php

Leave a Comment