Latest news with #DanielFreund
Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
EU court strikes down Malta's golden passport scheme
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that Malta's controversial golden passport scheme breaches EU law, dealing a blow to the practice of selling citizenship in exchange for investment. In a landmark judgment, the court said that offering EU nationality as a commercial transaction violates the foundational principles of European integration and solidarity. The ruling compels Malta to dismantle the scheme or face potential penalties. Launched in 2013 and formalised in 2020, Malta's programme allowed affluent foreigners to obtain citizenship by making a minimum investment of EUR 600,000, donating EUR 10,000 to charity, and either buying or renting property. Applicants were also required to live in Malta for three years — a requirement reduced to one year for those contributing at least EUR 750,000. Successful applicants received a Maltese passport, granting them the right to live, work, and vote across the EU under the bloc's freedom of movement laws. The scheme has long drawn criticism from EU institutions, anti-corruption watchdogs, and civil society groups, who argued it posed risks of money laundering, tax evasion, and national security breaches. A 2021 investigation by The Guardian found that several wealthy individuals obtained citizenship after spending mere weeks in Malta and maintaining only nominal ties to the country. Addressing such concerns, the ECJ ruled: 'A member state cannot grant its nationality — and indeed European citizenship — in exchange for predetermined payments or investments, as this essentially amounts to rendering the acquisition of nationality a mere commercial transaction.' The court said Malta had 'failed to fulfil its obligations' under EU treaties, adding that citizenship 'is one of the principal concrete expressions of the solidarity which forms the very basis of the process of integration… an integral part of the identity of the European Union.' The decision aligns with earlier EU pressure that led Cyprus and Bulgaria to dismantle similar schemes, citing systemic risks of corruption and abuse. Malta's government issued a cautious response, stating it is 'studying the legal implications of the judgment in detail' and intends to align its citizenship framework with the court's guidance. However, it also defended the scheme's economic benefits, noting it had generated over EUR 1.4 billion since 2015 and approved more than 5,300 applications by the end of 2023. The ruling has drawn praise from EU lawmakers and transparency advocates. Daniel Freund, a Green MEP, welcomed the verdict, saying: 'European passports are not for sale. Criminals, autocrats, and terrorists should not be able to buy a ticket into the EU.' The ECJ's decision sets a significant precedent and may reshape citizenship policies across the bloc.
Euronews
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Eurosceptic Patriots call for Parliamentary inquiry into corruption scandals
ADVERTISEMENT The leader of the eurosceptic Patriots for Europe group has called on fellow MEPs to establish a European Parliament committee of inquiry on transparency and accountability in the wake of recent corruption scandals including the ongoing investigation into alleged influence peddling involving Chinese tech giant Huawei. In an email made public by Daniel Freund (Germany/Greens), Jordan Bardella claimed such a committee could address 'allegations of corruption, money-laundering, abuse of power, undue interference in legislative processes' and other breaches of the rule of law in the EU institutions. The call comes after the recent scandal which saw five people charged in a corruption probe linked to Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, suspected by Belgian prosecutors of bribing EU lawmakers to promote the company's commercial policies in Europe. Huawei said in a previous statement that it "maintains a zero-tolerance stance against corruption", is "fully committed to complying with all applicable laws and regulations", and that it would 'urgently communicate' with investigators. Related Lawmakers call for binding 5G security measures in wake of Huawei scandal MEPs who signed Huawei-linked 5G letter deny payments In 2019 the Parliament was rocked by an ongoing scandal involving allegations that officials, lobbyists and their families were influenced by the governments of Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania, engaging in corruption and money laundering. 'EU institutions must operate with full transparency and accountability, and the rules of law should be upheld by all EU institutions and agencies,' Bardella's said in his email. Last month, Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (NR) party in the French parliament, was found guilty by a Paris court of misappropriation of public funds and barred from running for office for five years "with immediate effect." Bardella was elected NR president in 2022. Lawmakers have until 23 April to sign up to Bardella's initiative. It will be up to the Parliament, on a proposal from the Conference of Presidents - which consists of the leaders of the political groups - to decide whether to set up a committee and, if so, with how many members. A cordon sanitaire has been in place through which centrist pro-European groups effectively work together to deny the right-wing groups top jobs such as presidencies or vice-presidencies of the Parliament's committees. As a result of the practice the Patriots failed to secure high level positions despite achieving good results at last June's elections and becoming the Parliament's third largest group. Patriots for Europe have been contacted for a comment.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EU funding of NGOs 'too opaque', auditors find amid political storm
EU funding of non-governmental organisations is "too opaque", auditors found on Monday in a report set to further fan a heated political tussle over the financing of environmental groups. The European Union awarded about 7.4 billion euros ($8 billion) to a plethora of NGOs between 2021 and 2023, but public information about who got the money and how it was used is patchy, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said. "EU funding for NGOs is too opaque and suffers from a lack of transparency," said Laima Andrikiene, the report's lead auditor. "We are not talking about peanuts here," she added, referring to the amounts involved. Indications that the EU had earmarked some of the money it gave to environmental NGOs for use in lobbying European institutions sparked a political firestorm in Brussels earlier this year. Right-wing lawmakers in the EU parliament have used reports that money given out under an environmental funding tool known as LIFE were tied to the lobbying of fellow lawmakers as fodder in a wider pushback against Brussels's green agenda. Calls for a probe and a halt to the funding have met the resistance of left-wing parliamentarians. The Socialists and Democrats group last week denounced an "outrageous assault" aimed at silencing civil society efforts to protect the environment. "Greater transparency in how these funds are used is undoubtedly necessary. However, it is a mistake to point the finger at civil society in this debate," said Daniel Freund, a European lawmaker with the Greens. In its report, the ECA said the commission did not clearly disclose the information it held on advocacy activities carried out by NGOs with EU money. It lamented the lack of active checks to ensure that the funded groups were effectively independent NGOs and respected EU values -- as well as the absence of a "reliable overview" of just how much EU money is paid to NGOs. In one case, one large research institute was categorised as an NGO although its governing body was composed solely of government representatives, it said. Some of these shortcomings exposed the EU to "reputational risk", the ECA said. "Transparency is key to ensuring credible participation by NGOs in EU policymaking," said Andrikiene. As the lobbying controversy brewed last year, the commission reviewed its policies to ensure that grant agreements would not require recipients to lobby EU institutions. In January, budget commissioner Piotr Serafin said the practice had been legal, but "inappropriate". ub/ec/rmb
