Antigua likely to suspend CIP
Prime Minister Gaston Browne has indicated that Antigua and Barbuda is leaning toward suspending its Citizenship Investment Program (CIP) by November 12, following a directive from the European Union regarding visa-free travel access.
According to Prime Minister Browne, a technical committee from the European Union met with representatives from OECS CIP countries earlier in the week. During the meeting, European officials presented regional governments with a direct ultimatum regarding their access to the Schengen area:
Continue CIP operations: Nations may choose to keep their CIP programs running, but they will lose visa-free access to the Schengen area.
Commit to program suspension: Nations must formally commit by November 12 to suspend their CIP programs in order to retain visa-free access into the Schengen zone.
Prime Minister Browne announced that he has called a meeting of OECS heads of government for early next week to attempt to reach a unified regional consensus.
Browne noted that while these arrangement terms represent bilateral agreements requiring independent national decisions, regional governments will seek to coordinate their responses as far as practicable. If consensus cannot be achieved, each country will take its own independent path.
Within Antigua and Barbuda, preliminary discussions in Cabinet reflect a strong likelihood of compliance with the EU deadline. Browne emphasized that while no final determination has been made, Cabinet discussions indicate a “real possibility” and high probability that Antigua and Barbuda will suspend its CIP program come November 12.
