Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech has appealed to the government to immediately stop receiving and processing applications from Russian nationals wanting to purchase a Maltese passport through the Individual Investor Programme.
Grech said the country did not have peace of mind on the background of the applicants and could not continue endangering its security. At the same time, Malta would be sending a message it was foursquare behind Ukraine.
He was speaking during an interview on the party’s television station where he expressed concern about developments in Ukraine, which is being attacked by Russia.
A similar call was made on Thursday by European Parliament president Roberta Metsola who urged EU leaders at a summit in Brussels to close golden passports loopholes that are allowing Russians to gain more than a foothold in Europe.
In her speech, Metsola said “the Kremlin has long thought it could buy its way into Europe. It is time to close any loopholes, end the dangerous phenomenon of golden passports that provide a backdoor to European citizenship and ensure that Russian money does not become as critical as Russian gas.”
Grech said his party in government would reform the IIP programme to ensure that applicants have a genuine link to Malta and that the names of whoever purchases a Maltese passport are published. If applicants do not want their names published, then their application should be refused.
Off grey list in three months
Tackling other issues, Grech reiterated the PN’s pledge that it would get Malta off the grey list within three months and criticised the Labour Party’s pledge to reduce corporate tax for companies, something it was “unworkable”.
While the PN approved and published its electoral manifesto on Thursday, the Labour Party was still unprepared, he said.
“We are not only ready for the electoral campaign but we are ready to govern,” he said.
On the agricultural sector, Grech said the PN was pledging a new agency for the promotion of Maltese products along with educational programmes to attract young farmers and growers, and support farmers by sustaining the local market and reducing bureaucracy. There are millions of EU funds that were not being used properly, he said.
He said farmers had several expenses, including rental on the water and electricity meters, which the PN was proposing to remove. The PN was also proposing a subsidy on fuel for fishermen.
Commenting on the campaign so far, Grech said he was encouraged to see so many people coming forward to support the party.