And also to suspend the issuance of residence permits to investors from the two countries. We must check those who have fallen under Western sanctions or those who support the war in Ukraine.
The European Commission has issued a recommendation calling on EU countries to immediately abolish all schemes for granting citizenship to investors and to conduct rigorous inspections that will eliminate the risks of residence permit schemes for investors.
Note that citizenship schemes allow investors to obtain an EU passport on the basis of a significant contribution or investment. Investor residence schemes allow third-country nationals to obtain a residence permit in an EU country in exchange for a contribution or investment.
Today's recommendation of the Commission is part of a broader Brussels policy to take decisive action on these schemes. The current context of Russia's aggression against Ukraine underscores these risks.
Some Russian or Belarusian citizens against whom sanctions have been imposed or who support the war in Ukraine have been granted EU citizenship or privileged access, including the right to move freely within the Schengen area, under these schemes.
To address these immediate risks, the European Commission has recommended that countries assess whether to revoke citizenship granted under the “golden passport” scheme to citizens of Russia or Belarus included in the EU sanctions list in connection with the war in Ukraine.
Residence permits issued under this scheme to those subject to sanctions must be withdrawn immediately after an individual assessment and in accordance with the principle of proportionality, fundamental rights and the national law of the Member States. These measures should be applied to citizens of Russia or Belarus who provide significant support for the war in Ukraine.
We do not believe that the sale of citizenship through “golden passports” is illegal under EU law and poses a serious risk to our security. It opens the door to corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. EU members must immediately end their citizenship schemes for investors. They must also assess whether they should revoke all “golden passports” already issued to those subject to sanctions and others who have significant support for Putin's war, “he said. on Justice and Consumer Affairs Didier Reynders.
Commissioner for Home Affairs Ilva Johansson said: “The right to free movement within the Schengen area is one of our greatest assets. We need rigorous checks to make sure that this right is not being abused.” Gold residence permits issued to Russians and Belarusians under EU sanctions must be revoked. Now, in the face of war, as never before, we must do everything we can to ensure that Russians and Belarusians under sanctions and those who support Putin's aggressive war cannot buy their way to the EU. “
Today's recommendation emphasizes:
Any EU country that still has citizenship schemes for investors must stop them immediately. Such schemes are incompatible with the principle of sincere cooperation and with the concept of EU citizenship enshrined in EU treaties.
Relevant EU countries must conduct an assessment to determine whether to revoke the citizenship previously granted to Russian or Belarusian citizens subject to sanctions or who have significant support for the war in Ukraine. In carrying out the assessment, the Member States concerned must take into account the principles established by the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding the loss of EU citizenship.
EU countries must take all necessary measures to ensure that investor schemes do not pose risks to security, money laundering, tax evasion and corruption.
Suspend the issuance of residence permits under the residence schemes of investors to all citizens of Russia and Belarus.
Read also: Cyprus deprived of citizenship of the Russian oligarch and his children
It should be noted that in 2021, Cyprus deprived of citizenship 45 foreign investors and relatives who received Cypriot passports under the scheme “citizenship through investment”, which collapsed in 2020 due to allegations of corruption.
The report says 53 percent of the 6,779 passports issued under the scheme were issued illegally , and points to a lack of due diligence and insufficient verification of biographical data.
Mediterranean island abandons passport scheme last November after Al Jazeera showed a documentary in which reporters portray the adjusters of a fictitious Chinese businessman looking for a Cypriot passport, despite a criminal record.
Parliament Speaker Demetris Silloris and an opposition lawmaker were secretly videotaped, allegedly trying to facilitate the process.
Later they resigned , although both insisted on their innocence.
See the special topic: Since the beginning of the war, more than 20,000 cars with humanitarian aid have entered Ukraine. Poland has given us the most humanitarian aid at the moment. In Russia, announced a queue of cultural figures who want to speak before the occupiers Do not speak because they are not allowed by the Ministry of Defense of the aggressor country. Russia is working on bringing the Baltic Fleet to the highest level of combat readiness More than 1,500 servicemen were involved in the exercises and up to 80 units of weapons and equipment were involved. “The killed were crushed by tanks and rolled into the asphalt”: up to 300 civilians were killed in Irpen – the mayor of the city Also, the Russian occupiers killed up to 50 Ukrainian defenders. The Times: “Russian soldiers raped me while my frightened son cried” Ukrainian woman, whose case may be the first to be investigated for war crimes, told British journalists what happened to her.
