Antigua and Barbuda is mounting a defence of its Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) against mounting pressure from the European Union, asserting that its screening process ranks among the most rigorous in the world and that the programme deserves to be evaluated on its own terms.
According to Antigua News Room, the government's position was laid out Thursday during the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing, where Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant responded to questions about the EU's proposal that Caribbean nations phase out citizenship-by-investment programmes as a condition of retaining visa-free access to the Schengen Area.
Merchant said the government has consistently strengthened its due diligence procedures and remains committed to operating one of the region's most transparent investment migration programmes.
"The government believes that Antigua and Barbuda has one of the most stringent, one of the most highly scrutinized and transparent CIP programmes," Merchant said. He noted that the country's vetting process is considerably more extensive than those of competing jurisdictions, with some applications taking as long as 24 months to complete due to comprehensive background checks.
Merchant said those lengthy processing times reflect the government's determination to ensure that only thoroughly vetted applicants are granted citizenship.
He acknowledged that visa-free access to Europe is a major selling point of the Antiguan and Barbudan passport and conceded that losing Schengen access would deal a significant blow to the CIP. Nevertheless, he said the government does not believe it should be forced to dismantle the programme and will instead pursue continued dialogue with European officials.
A reporter at the briefing also raised the question of why the EU has targeted Caribbean investment migration schemes when several European countries have operated their own residency- or citizenship-by-investment programmes.
Merchant said Antigua and Barbuda intends to make its case directly to the European Union by spotlighting the safeguards embedded in its programme.
"We have a case to put forward to the European Union to say, look at our programme in depth, look at what we have done, look at all of the laws and guidelines that we have put in place," he said.
He added that the programme is designed to protect not only Antigua and Barbuda's own security interests but also those of countries that extend visa-free entry to Antiguan and Barbudan passport holders.
"It has provided significant economic benefit to Antigua and Barbuda. It is what developing countries have at their disposal as one of the arsenals to support its economy," Merchant said.
Cabinet has reaffirmed its commitment to ongoing engagement with the European Union while working alongside fellow Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) members to craft a coordinated regional response to the EU's proposal. Officials say the goal is to preserve Antigua and Barbuda's sovereign right to determine its own economic development policies while addressing European security concerns through dialogue rather than the elimination of the programme.
