MEPs called on the von der Leyen Commission to take concrete measures to protect the rule of law and fight corruption in Malta during a debate held on Tuesday 17 December in the European Parliament after recent revelations about the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
MEPs Sophie in't Veld (Renew Europe, Netherlands) and Sven Giegold (Greens/EFA, Germany), who just returned from an emergency mission to Malta (see EUROPE 12379/32), were particularly concerned and urged the new College to distinguish itself from the previous one, which “stood by” despite two resolutions from Parliament.
Mrs in't Veld expressed great concern about the lack of urgency in the Commission and even more so in the ranks of the European Council (see EUROPE 12390/15), whose absence was deplored by several Members during this debate.
“The leaders who sat around the negotiating table with Joseph Muscat and refused to raise the issue should be ashamed of themselves. They must take responsibility for the integrity of the EU”, she said.
Motion for a resolution. The various political groups have called for concrete measures. “We must put an end to pious hopes and endless promises, it is high time to act”, warned David Casa (EPP, Malta), advocating action at the European level. Such action was detailed in a draft resolution presented by the EPP, S&D, Renew Europe, Greens/EFA, and the GUE/NGL, as well as the ECR group.
In this text, which is due to be approved by Parliament on Wednesday 18 December, MEPs express deep concern about the credibility of the investigations into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. They deplore the fact that many other investigations into money laundering and corruption cases have not progressed and call for a stronger involvement of Europol in Malta.
MEPs also recall the imminent need for a European mechanism to monitor respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights. They also call on the Commission to use all the means at its disposal to combat the phenomenon of ‘golden visas’, a phenomenon that has been singled out several times during the debate.
Calls for Prime Minister to resign. According to the sponsors of the draft resolution, there is a risk that the investigations in the Caruana Galizia case will continue to be compromised as long as the Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat remains in power.
Several groups called for his resignation during the debate. To the EPP, which criticised the S&D for its lack of commitment on the issue, the EU cannot afford to have a “government in a state of moral ruin”.
“Every day you are still in office is a disgrace to democracy and an insult to the memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia, it is a slap in the face of the thousands of Maltese people who are demanding the truth”, said Esteban González Pons (EPP, Spain).
Stélios Koúloglou of Greece, speaking for the GUE/NGL, also called for Muscat’s resignation and hoped that the EPP would have “equally rigid views” on the rule of law in Hungary.
The new Commission says it is mobilised. The Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, assured that the Commission is closely monitoring the situation on the island. She expects the Maltese government to strengthen the independence of the judiciary, step up its efforts to pursue cases of corruption and implement the anti-money laundering framework.
Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, for his part, confirmed that the Commission would present an assessment of the judicial reform process and propose concrete actions. The Commission will also set up a new mechanism with an annual report on the rule of law in all Member States. “This will be an opportunity to have a real political debate in the [EU] Council, but also in Parliament”, he said. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki, intern)