Albania has scrapped the “golden passports” scheme, Prime Minister Edi Rama told a press conference here on Thursday during the meeting of the European Union (EU)-Albania Stabilization and Association Council.
The “golden passports” scheme promoted by the Albanian government in recent years had been suspended, Rama said at a joint press conference with Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell and European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.
“Regarding the golden passports, we have made it clear that we have suspended the process until the position is clarified at the European level. We did not invent this. We took it from EU countries that have implemented it successfully,” said Rama.
The EU has been strongly critical of the “golden passports” scheme which provides wealthy foreign investors with citizenship in return for their investment in the country.
The 12th meeting of the EU-Albania Stabilization and Association Council was held to review the country’s accession to the EU. It was the first meeting of the Council to take place in Tirana.
Albania applied for the EU membership in 2009 and became the candidate country in 2014. The accession negotiations between Albania and the EU started in 2022. ■
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama (L), Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell (C) and European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi attend a press conference in Tirana, the capital of Albania, on March 16, 2023. Albania has scrapped the “golden passports” scheme, Prime Minister Edi Rama told a press conference here on Thursday during the meeting of the European Union (EU)-Albania Stabilization and Association Council. (Photo by Gent Onuzi/Xinhua)
