Chrysanthos Manolis
Either we wrote them very confusedly as the Republic of Cyprus in the Commission, responding – in December 2020 – to its warning letter for the infringement procedure, which it initiated against the state, regarding the golden passports, or the Commission is moving slowly.
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What is certain is that after a five-month examination of the Cypriot response, the Commission has not yet decided whether it should consider the matter closed (since the KEP was suspended) or whether it should send a reasoned opinion, which is the second stage of the infringe, before referral to the Court of Justice.
On Monday, June 7, Justice Commissioner Didier Raiders released his response to three Greens MEPs who had asked him questions about the KEP last March.
Mr Raders said in his response that the Commission was currently analyzing the response it had received from Cyprus and would then decide on its next steps. If the Cypriot response is not considered satisfactory, he says, the Commission can issue a reasoned opinion on the matter (asking for concrete actions from the government, in order to comply with EU law).
The Commissioner reiterates to MEPs that the Commission considers that the systematic granting of EU citizenship, in return for predetermined sums or investments, without a real relationship between the naturalized and the Member States concerned, undermines the essence of EU citizenship and violates Community law.
Responding to a question from the MEPs, did the Commission take any action against the Cypriot government for its “attacks on the Auditor General” and “if not, what does it plan to do to ensure that the Auditor General has the necessary independence and “Cyprus respects the rule of law”, Mr Raders replied that the Commission had not received a complaint or information from the Auditor General about alleged political pressure affecting his ability to exercise his powers. He adds that the Commission is closely monitoring the rule of law situation in Cyprus, including independent authorities, such as the Audit Office.
