Malta's golden passport scheme breaks EU law, top court rules

The scheme lets people become citizens after paying, buying or renting property of a certain value, and donating to charity.

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The EU commission took Malta to court in 2022 over the scheme, which grants foreigners a Maltese passport and thereby the right to live and work in any EU country in return for paying at least €600,000 (£509,619), buying or renting property of a certain value, and donating to charity.

The EU's Court of Justice said the scheme "amounts to rendering the acquisition of nationality a mere commercial transaction".

Malta's government said it respected the ruling and was studying its legal implications.

The government said the ruling was being studied "in detail" so that the citizenship-by-investment framework could be brought in line with the judgement's principles.