What are golden passports and how do they enable tax dodging and threaten security?
'Dangerous' people can open the door to the EU by buying citizenship in Malta or Cyprus, chiefs warn
GOLDEN passport schemes threaten security in Britain and across Europe, chiefs have warned.
Intelligence agencies are said to be concerned some countries are selling citizenship to "dangerous" wealthy people from Russia, the Middle East and China.
What are golden passports?
Countries around the world operate schemes offering citizenship or long-term residency in return for "investments".
They effectively allow wealthy individuals to buy a passport or visa, typically for hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Several Caribbean nations do it as a way to raise money for the government, and there are similar schemes in Malaysia, South America, the Middle East and the South Pacific.
It has emerged some EU countries offer versions of the controversial scheme.
The glitzy city state is not in the EU but is within the customs union and is administered as part of France.
Why are golden passports a threat to security?
Golden passports could be sold to dangerous criminals and make it harder to stop money laundering, security chiefs fear.
Intelligence agencies including MI5 are said to have warned of the risk to national security.
Malta and Cyprus have reportedly sold citizenship to hundreds of wealthy Russians - including some with links to Vladimir Putin.
EU Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová said money was being put before security.
She said: “We have legitimate concerns, because if in one country a dangerous person gets citizenship, he gets citizenship for the whole of Europe.
"Maybe we all have to renegotiate the whole system and the whole competence of Europe.
“Once we have some weak points in the EU, some weak points where it is easy to enter, the whole of Europe has a problem.”
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