Eastern Caribbean Leaders Unite As EU Presses For End To Citizenship By Investment Programmes

The leaders of the five Eastern Caribbean countries operating Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programmes have agreed to present a united front in response to growing pressure from the European Union, following Brussels’ request that the programmes be phased out by June 2028.

Meeting in Roseau on July 10 under the chairmanship of Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, the Heads of Government of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia reviewed recent correspondence from the European Commission and discussed the implications of the EU’s revised visa suspension mechanism. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Godwin Friday also attended the meeting.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining the highest standards of security, transparency and governance within their CBI programmes while pledging to engage constructively with the European Union.

The leaders also agreed to launch a coordinated diplomatic initiative, including a high-level mission to Brussels, where they intend to meet with the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Council and other senior EU officials.

“We reaffirm our readiness to engage constructively in this process and express our confidence that, through dialogue and cooperation, balanced and durable solutions can be achieved,” the statement said.

The governments argued that Citizenship by Investment programmes have become an essential source of development financing for small island developing states. According to the statement, CBI revenues have funded climate resilience projects, disaster recovery, housing, healthcare, education, infrastructure and fiscal stability while helping countries reduce reliance on external borrowing.

The leaders stressed that any transition away from the programmes must recognise the economic vulnerabilities of small island states and be accompanied by support for alternative sources of development financing.

They also welcomed the European Commission’s commitment to continued dialogue and said discussions should include enhanced development cooperation, climate financing, strategic investment partnerships and economic diversification initiatives.

EU Seeks Phase-Out By 2028

The meeting follows a letter sent by the European Commission to the five CBI countries requesting that they end their citizenship programmes by June 1, 2028, or risk the suspension of visa-free access to the Schengen Area. The Commission’s position is based on the EU’s revised Visa Suspension Mechanism, which came into force at the end of 2025. Under the revised rules, the operation of an investor citizenship programme is now, by itself, a potential ground for suspending visa-free travel, regardless of the strength of a country’s due diligence procedures.

The Commission has argued that while Caribbean governments have strengthened their screening and vetting systems, citizenship by investment programmes continue to present security concerns because they grant nationality, and therefore visa-free access to the European Union, to individuals with limited genuine links to the issuing country. Similar concerns have appeared in successive reports issued under the EU’s Visa Suspension Mechanism.

In response, the Eastern Caribbean leaders pointed to the establishment of the Eastern Caribbean Citizenship by Investment Regulatory Authority as evidence of the region’s commitment to harmonised regulation, stronger compliance and continuous improvement.

The joint statement makes clear that the participating states are not rejecting dialogue with the European Union but are seeking a negotiated solution that balances Europe’s security concerns with the development needs of vulnerable island economies.

The coordinated diplomatic effort will involve foreign ministers, ministers responsible for CBI programmes, ambassadors and senior officials presenting a unified regional position to European governments in the coming months.