Event date: 10 October 2018
Location: The Press Club, Rue Froissart 95, 1000, Brussels
But for high-net-worth individuals, it’s a borderless world: some countries sell EU citizenship and residency rights just like a luxurious tourist package. In recent years, these ‘golden visa’ programmes have sparked controversy due to money-laundering, opacity and security concerns.
Transparency International and Global Witness have teamed up to investigate these schemes and the corruption risks they pose to the entire EU. Our upcoming report will discuss the problems we see with this multi-billion Euro industry and suggest solutions.
Watch the live stream here:
10:00 – 10:15 Registration and coffee
10:15 – 10:25 Introduction
- Welcome words from Carl Dolan, Director, Transparency International EU
- Introductory remarks from Mike Davis, Director of Campaigns, Planning & Evaluation, Global Witness
10:25 – 10:45 Presentation: European Getaway: Inside the Murky World of Golden Visas
- Laure Brillaud, Policy Officer for Anti-Money Laundering, Transparency International EU
- Maíra Martini, Knowledge Coordinator, Policy & Advocacy Team, Transparency International
10:45 – 11:45 Panel discussion: Golden Visas – What is the problem and what can the EU do? Moderated by David Pegg
- MEP Benedek Jávor, Greens/European Free Alliance
- MEP Ana Maria Gomes, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
- Rachel Owens, Head of EU Advocacy, Global Witness
11:45 – 12:15 Q&A session
12:15 – 13:00 Light lunch
The full report is available here.
An executive summary is available here.