President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen has dismissed calls from Green Party MEP Sven Giegold this week to launch the same infringement procedures against
golden visa jurisdictions Spain, Portugal, Greece, and others
as it recently did against Malta and Cyprus over their
citizenship-by-investment programs.
Giegold’s arguments adhered to the by-now-familiar refrain of IM-antagonists:
“Golden visas open the door for criminals. They can easily launder their dirty money in the EU and avoid taxes,” Giegold said this week, reports
The Express.
The MEP, a long-time, vocal opponent of investment migration, who is a co-founder of
ATTAC Germany, a movement that “fights for the regulation of financial markets, the closure of tax havens, the introduction of global taxes[…]” openly denounced von der Leyen in the European Parliament, accusing her of “extending an open invitation to criminals” and letting
EU citizens down by not opening infringement procedures against golden-visa countries.
“Golden passports and golden visas,” said Giegold, “are equally contrary to European law and must be punished equally. Visas are not a commodity. Civil rights come to depend on one’s wallet if they can be bought,” and added that the Commission should “immediately initiate infringement proceedings against EU member states with visa sales programs.”
