Vanuatu Citizenship by Investment Programme to Face Major Setback Amid Dispute in the Government
The internal feud within the government of Vanuatu is being blamed for causing havoc on the multi-island country's economy. An Australia based media organisation Cronullanews released a detailed interview with a person currently working as an official in the government.
Cronulla News stated that following the EU Commission's proposal to terminate the visa-waiver agreement with the European Union, Vanuatu's Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Program is on the verge of collapsing. It added that the continuous squabble within the government is a significant impediment to the actions.
Notably, Cronulla News was the first media house to break the news of the European Commission's decision to dismiss the visa-waiver agreement with Vanuatu. Their report had arrived days before the official press release issued by the European Commission, criticising Vanuatu's misconduct and incapable due diligence process on its Citizenship by Investment Programme applications.
A person from Vanuatu's CBI Unit talked to Cronulla News on the condition of anonymity. He said the deteriorated state of the Citizenship by Investment Programme of Vanuatu is alarming, and the brawl within the government is fuelling the situation.
Key Facts
Vanuatu is a double chain of 13 principal and many smaller islands in the south-western Pacific Ocean. The islands are volcanic and coral in origin, and they lie about 800 kilometres west of Fiji and nearly 1800 kilometres east of Australia. Around 65 of the islands are inhabited. Vanuatu has mountains and plateaus but is more famous for its coastal terraces and coral reefs.
Region: Pacific
Population: 292,680 (2018)
Area: 12,190 square kilometres
Capital: Port-Vila
Joined Commonwealth: 1980, following the ending of administration, Anglo-French condominium
Commonwealth Youth Index: 27 out of 49 countries
