Malta’s controversial cash-for-citizenship scheme is likely to be debated by MEPs in the European Parliament.

The leaders of all the political groups represented in the EP agreed at their Conference of Presidents in Strasbourg yesterday afternoon that a debate should be held in plenary on January 15.

The matter will be discussed once more during today’s meeting of the Presidency of the Euro-pean Parliament.

But sources said the ‘EU citizenship for sale’, as the debate is being referred to, is very likely to make it on the final agenda given that it has been proposed by several political groups.

The European Council and Commission will be invited to join.

Although the EU has no jurisdiction on citizenship matters, this has not stopped MEPs from raising concerns over the government’s plan to grant citizenship for €650,000, which will effectively give recipients unfettered access to the EU.

The scheme came under fire in the international media and was this week criticised by UK MPs.

The news came as the government and the Opposition agreed to meet today to try to find consensus on the scheme that already has Parliamentary approval.

In a tweet yesterday, Nationalist leader Simon Busuttil insisted the Opposition will keep making its case “against sale of citizenship”.

The Opposition is vehemently opposed to the Individual Investor Programme, as it is called, since it wants citizenship to be tied to residency and investment rather than outright sale.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Party MEPs David Casa and Roberta Metsola said it was regret-table that the Prime Minister had not heeded the Opposition leader’s advice.

“It is shameful that this law was steamrolled through Parliament.

“Had there been greater respect for the democratic process, proper dialogue and exchange of ideas, this fiasco could have been avoided,” Mr Casa said, referring to the plenary debate on the scheme.

Ms Metsola noted MEPs from across the political spectrum, including the left, voiced “very serious objections” to the scheme.

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