German newspaper Der Freitag sported an extensive article on the issue of golden visas issued in 12 European countries, including Greece and Cyprus, while at the same time the EU is trying in every way to fortify itself against the waves of refugees.

As he points out, “Europe belongs to those who can afford it. If you have enough money, you can just buy a permanent residence permit or EU citizenship. These free tickets for the upper class are called Golden Visa and can be purchased in twelve EU countries for a significant investment in the country, mainly real estate – in fact, four of them sell passports directly “.

Prices, according to the report, range between about 250,000 euros in Greece and about 10 million euros in Austria, while poorer EU countries such as Portugal, Spain, Latvia and Cyprus began already selling gold visas during the financial crisis, about a decade ago in order to improve their gross domestic product.

According to the newspaper, Transparency International and Global Witness criticize the fact that these countries often do not see when some of the applicants make a living with criminal companies.

In any case, money is ultimately the most important factor in deciding whether Europe will open or close its door to someone, comments the author of the article, which also refers to the art project Peng! collective, which is trying to wake up, aiming to buy… gold visas for asylum seekers.

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