Easiest and cheapest countries for acquiring European Union residency

Malta

it is a Southern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya.The country covers just over 316 km2 (122 sq mi), with a population of just under 450,000, making it one of the world’s smallest and most densely populated countries.