UK Drops £5 Million Investor Visa From October 28 Budget
Moustafa Daly
October 22, 2026
The Treasury doubted the growth case and the visa’s main backer lost his job, but Downing Street hasn’t closed the door.
Category: Europe
Andorra and San Marino Join EU Single Market, Gain Free Movement for Their Citizens
Moustafa Daly
October 22, 2026
Non-EU investor residency routes stay unchanged, while EU nationals swap investment-based permits for EU rights rationed by quota.
UK Chancellor Healey Weighs New Investor Visa Ahead of October 28 Budget
Nagy Szabolcs
October 17, 2026
Under one design, investors would put £5 million into a British Business Bank fund; under another, £2.5 million plus £200,000 a year in tax.
“An Army on Our Border With Germany”: Babiš Warns Czechia May Need to Stop Migrants From the West
Ahmad Abbas
October 17, 2026
“One thing is the blah, blah, blah and another is reality,” Sánchez fired back, likening Babiš’s rhetoric to Spain’s far-right Vox.
Greek Minister Vows to Revoke Golden Visas Over Hidden Rebates and Short-Term Sublets
Ahmad Abbas
October 17, 2026
Revocation for short-term lets is written into the law; for rebates it rests on a ministry circular. Plevris says both will be enforced.
Cyprus Now Expects to Join Schengen in 2027, a Year Later Than Planned
Nagy Szabolcs
October 12, 2026
Cyprus expects to join the Schengen Area in full during 2027, its deputy migration minister said on October 10. The president of Cyprus said in May 2025 that the country would join in 2026. The 25 European Union countries already in the Schengen Area must all agree before Cyprus can join.
French Finance Committee Votes to Extend Exit Tax to Crypto Holdings Above €800,000
Ahmad Abbas
October 11, 2026
The committee then rejected the bill’s revenue part; the measure needs a fresh vote on the Assembly floor, where debate opens October 13.
Frontrunner Le Pen Pledges to Scrap France’s Property Wealth Tax for a Levy on Financial Wealth
Moustafa Daly
October 9, 2026
Experts predict a change in who pays rather than a tax cut, and doubt it would keep wealthy French families from leaving.
Greece Proposes 10% Tax on Crypto Gains in Draft Bill
Nagy Szabolcs
October 9, 2026
Greece’s finance ministry has published a draft bill that would tax individuals’ gains from crypto-assets at 10%. Net gains of up to €500 a year would go untaxed, and the ministry wants parliament to vote on the bill in the first week of November.
Portugal Says It Has Processed 13% of Its Golden Visa Backlog
Moustafa Daly
October 8, 2026
With 30,000 biometric appointments booked for golden visa applicants, Lisbon practitioners now quote 14 to 18 months for new filings.
Greece’s Main Opposition Party Proposes Ending the Real Estate Golden Visa
Moustafa Daly
October 7, 2026
PASOK wants an “Angel Visa” instead; lawyer Christina Georgaki says golden visa buyers are mostly in a different market from Greek households.
Spain to Hold Snap Election on November 29 After Congress Rejects Housing Decrees
Moustafa Daly
October 5, 2026
The People’s Party, which fought golden visa abolition, leads the polls; the Sahrawi citizenship bill goes back to square one.
UK Tells 1,473 People Their Status Was a Mistake. Italians by Descent May Be the Exception
Ahmad Abbas
October 3, 2026
The Home Office has conceded one Italian case. Under Italian law, says one lawyer, “proof may come later; the status does not.”
Burnham to Set Out EU Rejoin Options by November as Macron Says “Welcome Back”
Moustafa Daly
October 2, 2026
At least 210,000 Britons took a second EU citizenship after 2016. The first rejoin overture from a sitting prime minister puts EU settlement rights back in play.
Malta’s New Tax Program to Come Into Effect in January, With €35,000 Minimum Tax
Ahmad Abbas
September 30, 2026
Non-EU applicants face more than double today’s minimum tax from 2027; applications received by December 31 keep current terms until 2031.
Cyprus to Tighten Golden Visa Before Schengen Entry, Reviews 12,000 Permits
Ahmad Abbas
September 28, 2026
No thresholds or timeline yet, and the 12,000 figure does not match the 7,088 golden visas officials reported to MPs in April.
San Marino Eases Hiring Rule for Entrepreneur Residency, Locks In €10,000 Flat-Tax Floor
Moustafa Daly
September 24, 2026
Amendments passed at ratification rewrite the entrepreneur route, close a treaty gap in the flat tax, and add twice-yearly reporting to parliament.
Trump Threatens “Very Serious Tariffs” on Europe Over Canada Associate Membership Offer
Moustafa Daly
September 18, 2026
The EU offer covered defense, tech, and the Arctic, but not mobility. Experts put visa-free movement rights years away, if ever.
Latvia’s Progressives File Bill to Scrap €150,000 Golden Visa Fund Route
Ahmad Abbas
September 17, 2026
The bill targets a route the prime minister first proposed and would leave one investor option.
Netherlands Retreats From 36% Unrealized Gains Tax, Will Propose Sale-Based Model Instead
Moustafa Daly
September 16, 2026
Dutch investors keep the notional-return system until at least 2029 while the government drafts a tax charged only at the point of sale.