MEPs sent on an urgent mission to the island of Malta from 2 to 4 December 2019 to assess the Rule of law in the investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia presented their findings to the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) on Thursday 9 January.
The conclusions of this mission have in fact already been drawn, and Parliament has already had the opportunity to get its message across, explained the members of the delegation. On 18 December last year, it adopted by a very large majority a resolution calling on the European Commission to take concrete steps to ensure respect for the Rule of law in Malta, said Sophie in 't Veld (Renew Europe, Netherlands), who led the mission.
During their mission, the MEPs met with a range of key actors in the Maltese political and judicial system, including the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, the Attorney General, the Commissioner of Police, the Ombudsman, representatives of Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition, as well as representatives of the Chamber of Advocates.
MEPs also had the opportunity to meet the Caruana Galizia family, activists, journalists and NGOs active in the fight against corruption on the island, which gave them a “clear view of the situation”.
The draft report acknowledges that progress has been made in the investigation into the death of Daphne Caruana Galizia, but is concerned about the lack of progress in other cases of money laundering and corruption, including those investigated by the Maltese journalist.
MEPs also expressed concern about the delayed resignation of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, announced for 18 January, which they said posed a “serious threat to the integrity of the investigation”.
According to the report, additional measures must also be taken to guarantee media freedom and the safety of journalists.
MEPs once again denounced the lack of involvement of the European institutions. Upon its return from the mission, the delegation asked the Commission to initiate a dialogue on the Rule of law with Malta (see EUROPE 12389/6), recalled Sophie in 't Veld. While the Commission did indeed express its concerns (see EUROPE 12391/27), its reaction was “very timid”, according to the Dutch MEP.
As for the European Council, it simply “ignored” Parliament’s call for it to take up the matter (see EUROPE 12389/6), she regretted, hoping that it would at least have the “courtesy” to reply to the President of Parliament’s letter and explain the reasons why it did not address the issue at the summit on 12 and 13 December (see EUROPE 12390/15).
See the draft report for the mission: https://bit.ly/2tKkSnm (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)