Albania Risks Visa-Free Regime with VIP Citizenship
A plan by Prime Minister Sali Berisha to give Albanian citizenship to foreigners who invest €100,000 in the country could put the state's visa-free regime with the EU at risk.
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| Albanian Prime MInister Sali Beris |
“We should give Albanian citizenship to all those foreign citizens who invest more than €100,000 in Albania,” Berisha said during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, calling for an amendment to the law.
However, a similar proposal by Montenegro in 2010 to award citizenship in return for an investment of €500,000 was opposed by EU politicians with warnings that Podgorica was jeopardizing its visa-free regime with Brussels.
Montenegrin opposition parties also criticised the plan, saying that Montenegro risked becoming a haven for criminals seeking new passports. Eventually the government of Montenegro scrapped the plan.
Visa-free travel to the EU took effect for Albania on December 15, 2010, allowing Albanian citizens to travel easily to Europe’s borderless Schengen zone.
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