The Maltese Government has today announced more details on the proposed amendments to the Maltese Citizenship Act.
This comes in response to the European Court of Justice’s ruling in Case C-181/23 (Commission v. Malta), which discourages the commercialisation of EU citizenship by granting nationality without sufficient genuine links to the country.
At a press briefing following the motion’s tabling, Minister for Home Affairs Byron Camilleri affirmed the government’s commitment to comply with the judgment:
“We will honour the judgment of the EU and conform with its ruling. However, the Court also confirmed that the granting of citizenship remains a national competence. We will be expanding and strengthening the way in which citizenship is granted by merit.”
While the full text is not yet public, the government has made clear its intent to completely remove any transactional or monetary element from the citizenship acquisition process.
The new model will centre around genuine contributions to the Republic of Malta, focusing on individuals who will provide exceptional services or exceptional contributions in areas such as:
- Science and Research
- Innovation and Technology
- Entrepreneurship and Job Creation
- Sports, Arts and Culture
- Philanthropy and Social Impact
The proposed amendments will also formally recognise “job creation” and “technologists and philanthropists” as eligible categories, reflecting Malta’s Vision 2050 goals of driving innovation and societal development.
Crucially, the amendments will eliminate any fixed investment or contribution requirements and shift the focus entirely to merit and public value. As Minister Camilleri clarified, “There will no longer be a set amount of money which applicants must pay to acquire citizenship.”
The evaluation process under the revised framework will also become more rigorous and transparent:
- An Evaluation Board will now be required to issue a formal recommendation (not merely an opinion) to the Minister.
- Sector-specific authorities will advise the Board, and the Board will have the discretion to interview applicants directly.
- Citizenship will remain at the Minister’s discretion, but only following due process and proper sectoral vetting.
- Names of successful applicants will continue to be published, maintaining transparency.
The judgment in EC v Malta reiterated that while nationality remains a national prerogative under Article 4(2) TEU, it must be exercised in a manner consistent with EU law particularly where it impacts Union citizenship under Article 20 TFEU. The Court did not object to naturalisation by merit or exceptional service, but rather the practice of granting nationality in exchange for payment, which undermines the principle of sincere cooperation under Article 4(3) TEU.
ACC Advisors welcomes this evolution in Malta’s citizenship legislation. The shift from a transactional model to a public interest-driven framework is a long-anticipated step toward a more resilient, European-aligned citizenship strategy.
