In a resolution adopted on Wednesday 28 April, the European Parliament said it was “deeply concerned” about the latest revelations in the investigation into the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia (see EUROPE 11885/2).
“In particular the possible involvement of government ministers and political appointees”, say MEPs. One of the alleged accomplices and some of the recordings presented at the trial implicated the Chief of Staff of former Maltese Prime Ministe, Joseph Muscat, rin the planning and financing of the murder, they recall.
The European Parliament therefore calls on the Maltese government to do its utmost to bring to justice all those involved in the journalist’s murder, as well as those responsible for other offences she denounced.
He also praised the “essential” work of Daphne Caruana Galizia, “in exposing corruption in Malta”. The resolution calls on the Maltese government to treat the fight against organised crime, corruption and intimidation of journalists “as of the utmost priority”.
MEPs also denounce the “serious and persistent threats to the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights” on the island and express concern about threats to journalists and press freedom.
While they welcome the recent progress made by the Maltese government in the field of the rule of law, they still call for reforms. Among other things, to ensure that the constitutional guarantees of the separation of powers are consolidated.
Socialists to the rescue of the government
While there was overwhelming support for the text as a whole, the details of the votes on the amendments offer a more nuanced picture.
Indeed, the entire S&D group—with the exception of two French MEPs—seems to have voted in such a way as to limit the blow to the Maltese government. For the record, the Prime Minister, the President of the country as well as four of the six Maltese MEPs sitting in the European Parliament are members of the Labour Party, which is connected to the S&D.
The group supported an amendment—rejected by almost all the other groups—which suggested that the Parliament should simply “note” and not “denounce” the deterioration of the rule of law in the country. The amendment, if adopted, would also have removed the link made in the resolution between the Caruana Galizia case and this degradation.
The Socialists also voted for an amendment—also overwhelmingly rejected by the other factions—stating that it was “at the invitation of the Maltese Government” that the FBI had been involved in the investigations into the assassination.
S&D, along with many Renew Europe MEPs , also opposed an amendment stating that “the widespread practice of awarding public contracts on the basis of direct orders represents a major corruption risk and must be suspended”. The amendment was therefore not adopted.
On Thursday morning, the group’s president, Iratxe Garcia Perez (Spain), sent out a tweet welcoming the Maltese government’s “cooperation” in “finding the truth” about the murder. “Its constructive and transparent cooperation with EU and other institutions sets a standard for other Member States”, she added.
However, the S&D—with the exception of its four Maltese members—broadly supported the amendment tabled by the Greens/EFA urging the Maltese authorities to adopt a national law on “Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation” (or SLAPPs—see EUROPE 12689/22), pending the presentation of the European Commission’s proposal on the subject.
Socialist MEP Tiemo Wölken (Germany) and Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola (EPP) will work on behalf of the European Parliament on this proposal to stop abusive lawsuits to silence journalists.
To consult the resolution adopted on Wednesday: https://bit.ly/3t4BbV2 (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)