Saint Lucia Ranks 3rd In Global Citizenship Program Index

Saint Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, and Grenada jointly occupied third place in the Henley & Partners 2024 Global Citizenship Program Index among some 100 countries. Malta nabbed the top spot, followed by Austria in the index, which evaluates various factors. They include quality of life, visa-free travel, investment prerequisites, compliance measures, residency requirements, relocation flexibility, transparency, and reputation. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre had stoutly defended the integrity of Saint Lucia’s Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP). Pierre’s defence came amid opposition United Workers Party (UWP) concerns regarding CIP transparency and security. The UWP had warned that Saint Lucia’s visa-free access to the UK and Europe was at risk. Opposition leader Allen Chastanet asserted that the UWP had received reliable information that Pierre had been summoned to Brussels over concerns about Saint Lucia’s CIP. But the Saint Lucia Prime Minister, who recently returned from the trip to Brussels, told reporters he was never summoned and nobody invited him. “I asked to see the members of the European Commission and the European Parliament. The reason why I did that, I wanted to hear first-hand for myself what was the situation regarding the Schengen visa,” Pierre disclosed. The Schengen area...