Moldovan government backs establishment of four-month moratorium on programme of citizenship through investment

Chisinau, 26 July /MOLDPRES/ - Moldova will establish a four-month moratorium on the reception of new applications on the gaining of Moldova’s citizenship through investment, according to a draft law positively notified by the cabinet today.   

Under the draft, till the expiration of the term set of four months, the government has right to decide “on the prolongation of the moratorium” for a period of “two months at the most.” All applications on getting Moldova’s citizenship, submitted till the date of the entrance into force of the draft approved on 26 July, “will be considered in the way established by the government.” At the same time, the term of the contracts of the accredited agents, signed for 2019, will be extended by a period equal to the period of the moratorium. The cabinet established a moratorium, till a final decision, after the parliament had approved, in the first reading, a draft law on the abrogation of the aforementioned programme.

Economics and Infrastructure Minister Vadim Branzan has earlier told a news conference that, if the parliament interrupts the programme on gaining Moldova’s citizenship through investment, Moldova will have to pay millions of euros to the consortium of companies which manage the project. There is such a clause in the contract earlier signed by the Economics Ministry. At the same time, Branzan noted that he had recently had several meetings with representatives of the London-based consortium of companies which manage the programme, who declared open for dialogue, so that the process of getting the citizenship becomes more transparent.   

Only two persons have benefited from this programme: one from India and another one from Australia. Another 34 applications are pending now. These files are to bring 4.6 million euros to Moldova.