Maltese Citizenship of Merit to be given for 'exceptional' service to country
Times of Malta
28 January 2017
Maltese Citizenship of Merit to be given for 'exceptional' service
to country
Applicants need to come from
science, research, sport, art, culture fields
Source Times of Malta
A
public consultation process was launched this morning to start giving a Maltese
Citizenship of Merit to foreign nationals who have given an
"exceptional" service to the country.
The
citizenship could also be given to those whose "naturalisation" is of
exceptional interest to Malta.
The
proposal covers five sectors of particular interest to Malta: science,
research, sport, art and culture.
Justice
and Culture Minister Owen Bonnici told a news conference the proposal includes
a protective mechanism to ensure the citizenship is granted only to those who
deserve it. The applicant needs to have a genuine link with Malta and needs to
prove he has a minimum 12-month residency.
The
application would then be approved by the relevant competent authority. Identity
Malta will be obliged to carry out a due diligence exercise.
Sports
parliamentary secretary Chris Agius said the initiative was moulded on similar
schemes overseas.