The European Commission has sent a letter to Bulgaria to highlight its concerns regarding an investor citizenship scheme operated by the country and requesting further details. The Bulgarian government has one month to reply to the letter requesting further information, following which the Commission will decide on the next steps.

The Commission considers that the granting by the member states of their nationality – and thereby EU citizenship – in exchange for a pre-determined payment or investment and without a genuine link with the Member States concerned, is not compatible with the principle of sincere cooperation enshrined in Article 4(3) of the Treaty on European Union. This also undermines the integrity of the status of EU citizenship provided for in Article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

In her State of the Union speech on 16 September, 2020 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized that “European values are not for sale”.