The European Commission said on Wednesday (13 November) it has no power to stop Malta, or any other member state, from selling EU citizenship.
"Member states have full sovereignty to decide to whom and how they grant their nationality," its home affairs spokesman, Michele Cercone, told press.
He added that the EU court in Luxembourg has "confirmed" in "several" cases that "it is for each member state to lay down the conditions for granting citizenship."
His remarks came afte...
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.