The Citizenship By Investment (CBI) schemes offered currently by three EU countries, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Malta, will be completely phased out by 2025, according to a majority vote in the European parliament earlier this month. Additionally, the EU Commission proposed an EU-wide regulation on residence by investment (RBI) schemes.
As CBI programmes will likely come to an end, RBI would therefore continue to be a main route for investors in opting for a second residence. Before the EU tightening and standardising a vetting framework, investors will probably jump on the bandwagon when procedures are relatively less strict and simple.