Malta must end its "golden passport scheme," according to a new ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Malta’s “golden passports” program for wealthy investors violates European Union rules on citizenship, the bloc’s top court ruled in a case that could have transformed the EU into a haven for affluent foreigners at a time when President Donald Trump wants to entice them to the US.

The European Court of Justice ordered Malta to close its “golden passport” program, the one of the last of its kind in Europe that allows wealthy people to buy EU citizenship, even after the small island country suspended the program for citizens of Russia and Belarus.