A political and economic union of 27 European states. EU citizenship — acquired through citizenship of any member state — grants the right to live, work, and study across the entire bloc.
The European Union is a sui generis political and economic union of 27 member states. Citizenship of any member state automatically confers EU citizenship under Article 9 of the Treaty on European Union, which grants the right to free movement, residence, and employment across the bloc.
In investment-migration terms, the durability of an "EU passport" depends on the issuing state's continued EU membership. Malta is currently the only EU member operating an active CBI programme; its MEIN scheme remains under European Commission scrutiny (case C-181/23). Portugal, Greece, Italy, and Hungary operate Golden Visa / RBI routes that eventually lead to EU citizenship via naturalisation.
EU member states retain exclusive competence over citizenship policy under Article 9 TEU — the Commission cannot compel a member state to close a CBI or RBI programme directly.