The general thrust of a debate on citizenship in the European Parliament this evening was that citizenship should not be sold.
Several MEPS mentioned Malta by name as they gave their views against the Maltese scheme and insisted that citizenship should never be sold.
The debate was opened by Greek Deputy Minister for European Affairs Dimitris Kourkoulas who said the European Council had no position on the granting of citizenship but any concerns about citizenship had to be examined carefully.
Member states should have the power to lay conditions for loss or gain of nationality, he said.
But Commissioner Viviane Reding said that, according to international law, European citizenship should only be granted where there was a genuine link or connection to the country in question.
National citizenship was an entry door to the EU, the EU treaty and EU rights and it “must not be up for sale”. It should not depend on the size some’s bank account.
“Citizenship cannot be taken lightly and one cannot put price tag on it.”
Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola said that the majority of the Maltese were against the Maltese scheme but those who spoke against it were labelled traitors… "But my duty is to speak out and no political attack will stop me.”
Labour MEP Joseph Cuschieri appealed to the Parliament to concentrate on the real meaning of citizenship to avoid any prejudice against one particular state.
“It is not right that we concentrate on one member state or the game will become dangerous and we would only be creating a precedent,” he warned.
Nationalist MEP David Casa said the Maltese were proud of their obligations and responsibilities and did not want to be placed in a bad light because of this bad scheme.
He appealed to the government to listen to what was being said in the EP and change the scheme.
Labour MEP John Attard Montalto noted that Commissioner Reding's argument was a legal one and her main objections were legal.
The Commissioner, he said, noted that according to the Maastricht Treaty there had to be a direct link between an applicant and a country and she had a point. However, other arguments were aimed at making a scapegoat out of Malta and this should not be allowed.
Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi said the granting of citizenship was the sacrosanct right of every country and had nothing to do with the competency of the EP.
She asked why was the EP debating this now when other countries had similar schemes. Malta, she said, might be the smallest member state but it had the same rights of other countries and it was not right to attack its sovereignty.
“Those trying to humiliate Malta for partisan reasons should be ashamed of themselves,” she said.
Claudette Abela Baldacchino noted that this WAS a debate about citizenship and not about Malta. No country should be isolated as several countries had similar schemes and initiatives.
MEP Manfred Weber, from the EPP referred specifically to Malta’s case and said it was incomprehensible that there could be draft legislation on the purchase of state citizenship.
“Malta is a great country… Maltese citizenship is valuable…,” he said as he appealed to the Maltese “tell your government that Maltese citizenship cannot be bought”.
Jan Mulder, from the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe said that selling citizenship to someone who never set foot in a county was a mistaken approach.
Marie-Christine Vergiat, from the Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left said that selling citizenship was a means of circumventing rules and a way of hiding money laundering.
“We are currently seeing crocodile tears over deaths in the Mediterranean… It is disgusting if you believe in justice and solidarity to hear this idea of buying citizenship,” she said.
Carlos Coelho, from the EPP, said the Maltese scheme will have a negative impact on European citizenship.
“European citizenship should be protected and it is not for sale,” he said.
Without mentioning Malta, Emine Bozkurt, referred to irregular migration and asked how could one deny freedom of movement to people who had a right to it and considered turning away migrants and then sold citizenship for money.
Krišjānis Karins from the EPP, said Malta was selling citizenship under pretext of attracting investment.
“To my mind this is not something we can support. We should not sell citizenship in Europe.”
Several other MEPs also appealed to the Maltese government to rethink the scheme and to denounce this step.
However, going against the grain, MEP Daniel van der Stoep criticised the European Parliament for discussing something that was "none of its business".
Closing the debate, Commissioner Štefan Füle said the Commission would remain attentive to the issue and work to address it within the treaties.
A vote will be taken tomorrow.
Earlier today, informed sources said the rapporteurs who had negotiated the agreement and signed the motion came in for criticism from their groups after the deal was done. The socialists then decided that they would, tomorrow, just before the noon vote, present amendments to delete the specific references to Malta. Should the amendments not be approved, a number of socialist MEPs are expected to vote against the clauses mentioning Malta.
The Greens too were unhappy that Malta was singled out, with no mention of Malta having been made in the draft they had prepared.
Opposition leader Simon Busuttil called for genuine dialogue between Malta and other member states to find an amicable solution to the proposed citizenship scheme.
BUSUTTIL CALLS FOR TALKS AMONG EU MEMBER STATES
Meanwhile, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil called for genuine dialogue between Malta and other member states to find an amicable solution to the proposed citizenship scheme.
He said it was the scheme, not the Opposition's criticism, which had tarnished Malta's international reputation.