After meeting high EU officials, Albanian PM backs down on golden passport program, but insists fiscal amnesty needed
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- After meeting high EU officials, Albanian PM backs down on golden passport program, but insists fiscal amnesty needed.
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TIRANA, March 16, 2023 - Albania has suspended its plan to offer citizenship through investment, a program widely known as offering “golden passports,” until the European Court of Justice makes a ruling on this issue, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Thursday.
ECJ is expected to rule on a similar program in Malta, the only EU members still offering it.
"There is a case in the European Court, we will no longer bring this initiative to the table without seeing how the case will end in the European Court. If the European Court rules against golden passports, this is a closed issue. If the European Court decides in favor, then each country will make its own choice," Prime Minister Rama said.
Mr. Rama made the comments at a press conference at the end of the EU-Albania Association Stabilization Council meeting, which was also attended by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell and EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi.
EU officials have repeatedly criticized the proposed golden passport program and Mr. Rama’s plan to offer a fiscal amnesty of up to 2 million euros for Albanisn who hold unregistered funds.
But while backing down from the first program, Mr. Rama stated that his government has not withdrawn from the fiscal amnesty. However, he added that ALbania would work with EU experts to come up with a program that meets EU requirements.
The Association Stabilization Council is the highest bilateral forum between the European Union and Albania, which meets once a year to analyze the progress of the candidate country in the integration process.
The meeting was held in Tirana and not in Brussels or Luxembourg as usual for the first time.
While the progress of reforms in the country was evaluated, during the meeting, the need for further progress was emphasized. The EU has also underlined that efforts to create a solid track record in the fight against corruption and organized crime must be intensified, including at the highest level.
The Association Stabilization Council covers almost 360 degrees the problems and progress of the candidate country.
As for allowing the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes, Mr. Rama said that the consultations have been completed and the process will continue in the parliament "being very clear not only how we write it but also how we implement it and that's why the elements of monitoring are well thought out, but of course it will be judged in practice".
The Albanian prime minister requested greater financial support from the European Union for the Balkan region, which he said could not withstand the blows of the crisis created as a result of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
