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National EU governments should end golden passport programmes through which wealthy people such as Russian oligarchs are able to buy citizenship and bypass other visa rules, the European Commission said on Monday.
The move follows a new push from the European Parliament to shrink and regulate the multibillion-euro citizenship and visa industry which the EU has long considered a security risk.
The commission also urged national governments to suspend the sale of visas to Russians and Belarusians and to assess whether oligarchs linked to the Kremlin or who support the war in Ukraine should be stripped of citizenship rights previously granted.
“Some Russian or Belarusian nationals who are subject to sanctions or are significantly supporting the war in Ukraine might have acquired EU citizenship or privileged access to the EU, including to travel freely in the Schengen area, under these schemes,” the European Commission said.
Since the start of Russia's campaign in Ukraine, the EU has blacklisted about 700 senior politicians, businessmen and military staff accused of supporting the Kremlin.
Several EU countries run golden visa and passport programmes.
The commission said it did not know whether sanctioned people were among the beneficiaries of the golden passport or visa programme, but suggested national governments check whether sanctioned people held them.
The commission also called for an immediate end to existing national programmes for the sale of passports.
Currently only Malta, Cyprus and Bulgaria have such programmes and they have all committed to ending them.
Countries should determine whether to annul those passports and should immediately withdraw residence permits, the commission said.
An EU spokesman declined to clarify whether it had asked states to provide lists of people who had bought visas or passports.
The commission refrained from calling for the end of golden visa programmes, but called for strict checks and asked EU governments to suspend the granting of residence permits to Russians and Belarusians.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
