The presidents of the political groups within the European Parliament decided today that the debate on 'EU citizenship for sale' that is to take place in the European Parliament on Wednesday afternoon will also include a vote on a cross-party resolution on the following day at noon, Nationalist MEPs David Casa and Roberta Metsola said.

"The decision for there to be a resolution following the debate serves the purpose of sending a stronger message of opposition to the concept of the outright sale of citizenship and opposition to the Maltese scheme in particular", the MEPs said.

"We have been calling on the Government to amend this scheme ever since it was announced in October. Simply raising the price tag just does not cut it. The key point here is the complete lack of any tie or bond to Malta through the exclusion of any residency requirement. In fact, third-country nationals can now obtain Maltese and therefore EU citizenship without having to set foot on the island.

"The behaviour of this Government has and continues to undermine the trust and goodwill that Malta has worked so hard to build up with other Member States and European Institutions.

Once again we call on the Government to amend the scheme, to ensure a true bond with Malta by tying it to residency and real investment so as to prevent Malta's reputation and image from continuing to be dragged through the dirt by this Government", the MEPs said.