Escape Rooms for the Rich? Or Lifeboats from the EU Gulag?

There’s a certain kind of hypocrisy so grotesque, so bold-faced, that it can only flourish in Brussels. The European Union, bloated on its own bureaucracy and drunk on the illusion of moral superiority, has once again declared war on the few sovereign escape hatches that remain for the free individual. I’m talking, of course, about Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programs—those controversial, misunderstood, and increasingly threatened “lifeboats” that let a select few buy their way out of tyranny, instability, or simply overtaxed mediocrity.

The EU wants them gone. Not because they are insecure. Not because they are abused. But because they are too effective at offering freedom to those who still want it.

Schengen Suspended, Malta Harassed

Let’s start with what’s happened in the past few months. The European Court of Justice ruled against Malta’s CBI program—even though it had been defended by the EU’s own Advocate General. Just weeks later, the EU finalized a visa suspension mechanism designed to strip Schengen access from countries that offer citizenship to people they don’t like.

Let that sink in. The same EU that hands out permanent residency to hundreds of thousands of migrants each year from failed states like Syria, Afghanistan, and Somalia, is going after the handful of wealthy, vetted, and background-checked individuals who bought a passport in Dominica or Saint Lucia.

Why? They claim it’s about security. Due diligence. Protecting the integrity of EU citizenship.

But that’s a joke, and everyone paying attention knows it.

Germany’s Naturalization Numbers Tell a Different Story

A recent exposé on IMI Daily laid the hypocrisy bare. Germany—supposed defender of rule-based order, vetting, and bureaucracy—has quietly naturalized over 3.3 million people since 2000. And they’re not issuing passports to Swedes and Canadians.

The top countries? Turkey. Syria. Iraq. Iran. Afghanistan.

From 2015 to 2020, Germany granted an average of 3,368 passports per year to Syrian nationals. Since 2020, that number has exploded to 56,538 per year. That’s not a trickle. That’s a flood.

Many of these individuals entered illegally or under asylum pretexts. There is no due diligence beyond a basic background check—if that. No wealth test. No integration track record. Just a bureaucratic rubber stamp once they hit the minimum time in country and check a few boxes.

So let’s ask the obvious question: if Germany and the EU are so terrified of Syrians, Afghans, and Iranians getting EU citizenship through CBI, why are they handing out German citizenship to the exact same nationalities by the tens of thousands?

Answer: Because it’s not about security.

It never was.

CBI Countries as the New Pariahs

What’s really going on is that the EU sees CBI programs as a threat—not to the security of the Union, but to its monopoly on citizenship. Malta dared to run a CBI program? Brussels made them pay.

The Caribbean islands stood their ground for years. But when the U.S. and EU started threatening visa-free access, they folded. The six OECS nations agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding that surrendered their sovereignty. Russians banned. Iranians blocked. Transparency mandates imposed.

And now, with a flick of the wrist, the EU can yank Schengen access from any country that doesn’t play ball. The goal? Kill CBI. Permanently.

But let’s go one level deeper.

The Real Enemy: Freedom of Movement for the Wrong People

Here’s what they won’t say out loud: the EU is not afraid of a few thousand Iranians or Chinese nationals with Caribbean passports entering the Schengen Zone each year.

That’s laughable.

They let in hundreds of thousands of those same nationals through asylum programs, student visas, marriage loopholes, and business migration every single year.

So what’s different about the CBI crowd?

They’re free. They don’t owe the state anything. They didn’t have to beg. They didn’t have to integrate. They just bought their way in—and worse, they can leave again.

That’s the core threat.

CBI creates a class of sovereign individuals who are not beholden to Brussels, not afraid of the taxman, and not tied down by ideology. And perhaps most dangerous of all—they show Europeans what freedom could look like.

They are escapees from the gulag.

Escape Rooms and Lifeboats

Imagine the EU as a sinking ship. Most passengers are too distracted by onboard entertainment, state-subsidized wine, and the illusion of safety to realize the hull has cracked.

But a few—just a few—have access to lifeboats.

CBI programs are those lifeboats. They are not cheap. They are not for everyone. But they represent the idea that citizenship is not just something handed down, but something that can be chosen.

And that’s heresy.

If you can choose your citizenship, you can leave. If you can leave, you can’t be taxed forever. You can’t be conscripted. You can’t be told where to live, work, invest, or raise your family.

In short: you become ungovernable.

The Merit Farce

In an Orwellian twist, the EU has begun promoting “Citizenship by Merit” instead of CBI. Malta now has to vet applicants for cultural contribution, social value, and whatever other abstract nonsense the Commission demands.

But let’s not kid ourselves. This is ideology wrapped in red tape.

“Merit” is code for “people we like.” It means artists, climate activists, tech founders who virtue signal in the right direction.

Meanwhile, the quiet family man who made his money in real estate or crypto and just wants to raise his kids somewhere safe?

Denied.

Because he didn’t write a poem about European values.

Sovereignty Is Not for Sale… Except in Germany

Here’s the bitter irony.

The same EU that screams “sovereignty” when Saint Kitts sells a passport for $150,000 sees no issue with Germany naturalizing 77,745 people by exception or “merit” between 2000 and 2023. Quietly. Without scrutiny. And often from the exact same countries blacklisted in CBI schemes.

Let me repeat: Syria. Iraq. Iran. Afghanistan. Russia.

You can’t make this up.

Germany grants citizenship “by merit” to nationals of the same countries that the EU calls security threats when they apply for a CBI in Grenada.

It’s not about due diligence. It’s about control.

Europe’s War on Exit

If you’ve been following the EU’s direction the past few years, you’ll notice a trend: they are closing the exits.

• DAC8 means every crypto transaction is reported—even from abroad.

• AMLA means your bank accounts are monitored across borders.

• Chat Control means even encrypted messaging could soon be scanned.

• Digital ID means your entire life will soon be stored in a centralized database.

• And CBI? That was your backup plan. And they’re killing it.

Ask yourself: why would they care so much about a few thousand people buying second passports?

Because those people are you. Professionals. Entrepreneurs. Investors. Builders. People with options.

People who still believe in freedom.

What You Can Do

If you’re in the EU—or a similar high-surveillance jurisdiction—you need to act now. Here are steps that still work:

• Get a second citizenship. Whether through CBI (Caribbean, Vanuatu, Turkey), ancestry (Ireland, Italy, Poland), or naturalization (Uruguay, Paraguay, Malta, Panama), this is your escape hatch. Some EU countries like Ireland offer automatic citizenship by descent—no language test, no residency.

• Secure a second residence. Low- or zero-tax options include Dubai, Uruguay, Georgia, Malta, and Gibraltar.

• Open international bank accounts—preferably outside the CRS zone (e.g. Georgia, UAE, Singapore).

• Diversify your assets. Real estate, gold, and brokerage accounts abroad are harder to freeze.

• Establish tax residency in a treaty country. Without a proper tax home, many countries (like Germany, Spain, and Australia) will keep taxing you after you’ve left.

• Don’t wait for permission. The window is closing. Take control now.

🔒 Need a Plan B?

If you're ready to act but don’t know where to start, we can help. At Mount Bonnell Advisory, we’ve helped hundreds of EU citizens:

• Acquire CBI or ancestry-based citizenships

• Set up legal residence programs in low-tax jurisdictions

• Build international company structures to protect wealth

• Navigate compliance, reporting, and asset protection

🚨 Book a confidential consultation with us today. We’ll design a personalized escape plan tailored to your assets, goals, and family needs.

Because if you're still asking whether it's time to leave, you're already late.