The European Commission's daily press conference opened on Tuesday 16 October with a minute's silence in tribute to the Maltese journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was murdered a year ago (see EUROPE 11885).
In a joint statement, the First Vice-President of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, and European Commissioners Andrus Ansip, Věra Jourová and Mariya Gabriel called for justice to be done in this case and in the case of the Slovak Ján Kuciak, murdered in February 2018.
It should be noted, however, that they did not mention the Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova, who was murdered in early October. Asked about this, Commission spokeswoman Margaritis Schinas recalled that the initial elements of the investigation did not make it possible to link this murder to the profession of Mrs Marinova (see EUROPE 12115).
"We need to send a clear signal to all journalists: it is safe to work in Europe. If journalists are silenced, so is democracy. This will not happen in Europe. Not on our watch." the statement concludes.
"Impunity is the worst message", Julie Majerczak, director of 'Reporters Without Borders' Brussels office, told the press.
Her organisation is currently on a mission to Malta and has called on the Prime Minister of Malta to open an independent public inquiry to establish whether the journalist's murder could have been prevented. A gathering of journalists was held on the same day in front of the Résidence Palacein Brussels. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)