EU wants to end golden passport schemes, targets Russians

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission has recommended that the bloc's 27 nations end golden passport schemes that allow wealthy people — among them Russian oligarchs — to buy their way to EU citizenship.

The European Commission launched infringement procedures against Cyprus and Malta in 2020 about their golden passports schemes, and Russia's war on Ukraine has put an increased focused on the topic.

The EU's executive body warned that some Russian or Belarusian citizens among the 877 individuals targeted by asset freezes and travel bans or who support the Russian invasion of its neighbor might have acquired EU citizenship or residence permits through investor-linked programs.