https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/127672 2026-07-14T01:08:54Z 2026-07-14T01:08:54Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/148004 2026-07-13T08:58:09Z 2025-11-19T00:00:00Z

Title: European values are not for sale –the European conflict of selling citizenship Abstract: The field of investment migration is currently marked by opposing dynamics. In the United States, the newly introduced “Trump Gold Card” allows investors to purchase residence permits—so-called Golden Visas—for one million dollars. In Europe, by contrast, the selling of citizenship—so-called Golden Passports—was recently declared incompatible with EU law. In a remarkable decision at the end of April 2025, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) banned Malta’s citizenship-by-investment (CBI) scheme, which had been in operation for more than a decade. In 2014, the Maltese government introduced the Individual Investor Programme (IIP), allowing high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) to acquire citizenship for an investment sum over €600,000. For over a decade, Malta granted citizenship to wealthy individuals and raised more than €1.4 billion, mostly channelled into a state-managed fund. In 2023, the European Commission (COM) took Malta to the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which ruled in favour of the Commission at the end of March this year. This marked the termination of the EU’s last remaining programme of its kind, following Cyprus and Bulgaria’s earlier discontinuation of the practice. The ECJ ruled that Malta's citizenship by investment programme (CBI) is not compatible with the EU Treaties because it violates the principles of loyal cooperation (Article 4(3) TEU) and Union citizenship (Article 20 TFEU). The latter has existed since the Treaty of Maastricht and is enshrined there as additive to national citizenship. This decision has been viewed critically by as the right to grant citizenship appeared to lie solely with the Member States. Drawing on perspectives from economic sociology and the political economy of European integration, this dissertation chapter examines the rise and fall of Malta’s Golden Passports. The analysis builds on qualitative data, including interviews, policy reports and recommendations, and the ECJ’s ruling. The chapter conceptualizes the Maltese CBI scheme as a field where market logics intersect with state sovereignty, supranational regulation, and elite privilege. It represents the elite flip side of the migration coin—where capital functions as a gatekeeping mechanism for inclusion in both a member state society and the wider European Union. Yet the field is not governed by market or legal logics alone. Moral discourses play a crucial role in shaping how these schemes are negotiated and justified. The legitimacy of selling access to societies thus becomes a controversial moral boundary, with states, EU institutions and elites wrestling for over a decade to define what the value of citizenship implies. Description: Presentation by PhD student Konstantinos Papanikolaou (International Max Planck Research School on the Social and Political Constitution of the Economy (IMPRS-SPCE) Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne) at the Institute for European Studies/European Documentation Centre on 19 November 2025.

2025-11-19T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/147999 2026-07-13T08:21:33Z 2025-10-29T00:00:00Z

Title: Neutrality and defence acquisition : looking at the case of the European Sky Shield Initiative Abstract: This presentation considers the decision-making processes for participation in the procurement of the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), a multilateral air defence capability. In particular, it considers the participation of Austria and Switzerland, two neutral states, in the programme. Neutrality status would normally prohibit any military alliance but this capability looks to European states to coordinate their defence capabilities, and align with NATO’s existing assets and operations, in the face of increased inter- state threats. Using a neutrality and rational choice lens, the paper will examine the incentives and reasoning for the participation of these states in this programme. It will also consider the impact of the participation on these states’ neutral status. Description: Dr Lucy Paterson gave a presentation on her research at the Institute for European Studies Library/European Documentation Centre on 29 October 2025.

2025-10-29T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/140074 2025-10-14T11:44:40Z 2025-04-29T00:00:00Z

Title: COPE session - European Studies teachers Abstract: The European Studies secondary school teachers held their COPE (Community of Professional Educators) session at the University of Malta. This session was tailored for European Studies secondary school educators, with the primary aim of laying the groundwork for collaborative initiatives in the upcoming academic year. Challenges being faced in the teaching of European Studies at secondary level were identified, together with possible solutions to make European Studies a more attractive subject option as well as to make the subject more relevant and link it better to European Studies at University level. The session also examined the transformative potential of rehabilitation, drawing on practical insights from the Rescaled Movement - an EU-based initiative in which Malta plays an active role. The meeting was also attended by JEF officer Andrea Pisani, the CEO of SEM Rodrick Zerafa and SEM's Head of Policy Charlene Caruana.

2025-04-29T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/140073 2025-10-14T11:39:25Z 2025-03-07T00:00:00Z

Title: Presentation of the report of the Franco-German Working Group on EU institutional reform : "Sailing on high seas: Reforming and Enlarging the EU" Abstract: Students taking the study unit EST3211 'The Future of the European Union' attended an event on the Franco-German Report 'Sailing on High Seas: Reforming and Enlarging the EU for the 21st Century'. They had the opportunity to follow presentations on proposals for EU institutional reforms by two experts from the Group of Twelve authors of the Report - Prof Franz Mayer and Prof Gaëlle Marti. The event was moderated by the Institute's Director, Dr Moira Catania. Prof Roderick Pace also participated in this event.

2025-03-07T00:00:00Z