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Second round of talks on citizenship scheme
‘Our position remains one based on a point of principle: citizenship is not for sale,’ Opposition leader says.
23 November 2013, 12:00am
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
2 min read
Government and Opposition will today meet for the second time in a bid to find consensus over the Individual Investor Programme, a scheme which has been a source of much controversy in the past weeks.
On Twitter, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said the two sides were to meet again today.
"Our position remains one based on a point of principle: citizenship is not for sale," he tweeted.
2nd mtg tomorrow. Our position remains one based on a point of principle: citizenship is not for sale.
— Simon Busuttil (@SimonBusuttil) November 22, 2013
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has been busy promoting the IIP in Miami while insisting that the island wanted to attract "the best talent" from around the world.
According to a government statement, Muscat said another possibility was being given for political consensus to be reached after the law was approved in parliament. Refraining from commenting on how the talks were developing, the Prime Minister said the possibility for consensus was being given before the regulations were to be published in the legal notice.
The chairman of the Malta Financial Services Authority, Prof. Joseph Bannister, has been tasked with moderating talks between the government and the Opposition to discuss possible changes to the IIP, which will sell Maltese citizenship for €650,000.
Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi and PN administrative president Karol Aquilina represented the Opposition during Thursday's first meeting.
Parliamentary secretary for justice Owen Bonnici and home affairs minister Manuel Mallia represented the government.
The controversial scheme has generated massive international interest, both for the fact that an EU member state was selling passports and access to the eurozone for non-EU nationals, as well as for the potential €30 million that the Maltese government is seeking to rake into its public coffers by 2014.
The Opposition says the sale of citizenship should be based on a five-year residence period and on a minimum €5 million investment.
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Joseph be strong and do what you think is good for the country ,thats why the people elected you.
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uuuu kemm huma patriotti f daqqa wahda wahda in nazzjonalisti hux l-anqas temmen. dawn huma l-istess nies li persentagg qawwi taghhom jisthu jitkelmu bil lingwa tghana u jghawgu halqhom bl -ingliz jipruvaw . billi ghandhom inferiority complex fuqhom,jipruvaw jitkelmu bl lingwa ohra ghax jahsbu li jidhru ahjar,ghax fir realta ihossuwhom inferjuri ....jien naf hafna bhalhom, l-anqas jieklu sa kemm ma jixbaw ma ghandhom u allahares ma kienux il gvernijiet tas 70's u 80's laburisti li grazzi ghal servizzi socjali li gab ghadhom jibenificaw minnhom sal lum.
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Ara fejn Malta qatt irruftat il-qamh!
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uuuu kemm hu patriot dan buzullotti hux ? martri se jmut ghal pajjizna miskin . Ahjar tieqaf tghamel il hsara lil malta mal barranin ghax lilek il poplu malti fil maggoranza kbira tieghu l-anqas fil holm ma jrid jarak imqar ghal gurnata tmexxi pajjizna .Kif qallek tajjeb Dr.Muscat fid diskors li gabek fix xejn tal budget.Int INFANTILI .
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Il polplu qed jinduna dr.Buzuttil xi hsara qed tghamel int lil pajjizna specjalment meta tmort tigbed l-attaenzjoni fuqna tparla fil vojt fuq Ballaro ta RAI . gbit l-attenzjoni fuq il Gaming industry u hafna affarijiet ohrajn . id damdima ta 36 elf elezzjoni ohra grazzi ghalik se tikber b minmament 15 il elf ohra .qed tuza l-istess tattiki li uza EFA meta kien imur jgamel il hsara barra min malta biex ma jinvestux malta ...imam illum il poplu ma ghadux mazzun . it tattici tieghek huma querili u infantili.
Priscilla Darmenia •
The way I see it is that the PN in government gave our passport and citizenship to many north African and east European nationals who married a Maltese women for convenience; they then divorced her according to the Muslim rite went back to their country of origin and brought their other wife and children on the strength of having a Maltese passport. It took the PN govern a few years to wake up and change the law and make it less easy for such people to obtain a Maltese passport. – It should be noted that all those passports were given for FREE. – Although I am too against the outright sale of the Maltese passport, but I believe that Simon is just putting spokes in the wheel as he did not think of this himself. – Simon you are either outright against selling the Maltese passport or selling it with a better deal for Malta, but still selling it. – You lost me. – I am in favour of selling it but attached to job creations and some form of residency too in addition to the monetary value.
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How can Muscat say that it will attract "the best talent" from around the world, when this so-called talent won't even have to reside in Malta. Explain please.
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L opposition qed tara naqra kbir ,mela qed tahsibna Monaco.
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Daqshekk residenza u investiment issa. U dan ikisser biss irid! Possibli jahseb li n-nies ma jindunawx.
Qed jibzoq lejn is-sema, ..... U se jigi f'wiccu!
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Daqshekk residenza u investiment issa. U dan ikisser biss irid! Possibli jahseb li n-nies ma jindunawx.
Qed jibzoq lejn is-sema, ..... U se jigi f'wiccu!
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Daqshekk residenza u investiment issa. U dan ikisser biss irid! Possibli jahseb li n-nies ma jindunawx.
Qed jibzoq lejn is-sema, ..... U se jigi f'wiccu!
