Citizenship-for-sale schemes and EU law: can third-country nationals buy their way into becoming subjects of EU law?

Tryfonidou, A. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0639-0356 (2017) Citizenship-for-sale schemes and EU law: can third-country nationals buy their way into becoming subjects of EU law? In: Bardutzky, S. and Fahey, E. (eds.) Framing the Subjects and Objects of Contemporary EU law. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, pp. 145-157. ISBN 9781786435736

Abstract/Summary

This essay consists of a case-study which seeks to consider whether persons who do not derive any rights from EU law and, thus, are merely ‘objects’ of EU law can buy their way into becoming subjects of EU law, by paying a hefty sum of money in exchange of Member State nationality and, by extension, Union citizenship. The essay will consider the general objections that have been voiced from time to time towards citizenship-for-sale schemes but will focus on assessing such schemes from the point of view of EU law. In particular, it will be examined whether such schemes can be found to be in breach of EU law and what action can be taken by the EU in order to prevent the Member States from violating EU law by the application of such schemes.