An EU petition on the violation of the right to freedom of expression and violent oppression of journalists in Malta will remain open the Committee of Petitions has ruled, also issuing a request for the LIBE (The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs), who oversees rule of law concerns and is working with regards to the issue, to keep them updated on any actives or hearing related to the case.
During the sitting Maltese MEP Marlene Mizzi requested that the petition is closed, with MEP Miriam Dalli supporting her call; while MEP Roberta Metsola stressed the importance of keeping it open, especially given that the Committee of Petitions is the only forum where the public is able to engage with the EU on an official forum.
“By keeping it open, citizens can come forward with any concerns that may arise further down the line,” Metsola said.
Dalli argued that by keeping the petition open, the committees were simply duplicating each other's work.
“We want to make it clear, we do not want to close the matter, we want to close the petition,” Dalli said.
Mizzi, on the other hand, stressed the importance of objectivity, saying that there have been significant developments since the petition was submitted shortly after the assassination, such as the involvement of foreign law enforcement agencies, and the arrest of three individuals suspected to have carried out the attack.
On the subject of rule of law, Mizzi said that there have already been two plenary sessions on the subject and that fact-finding missions have been sent to Malta to investigate the situation.
“Organised crime exists in every member state; to use its existence to question rule of law is irresponsible,” Mizzi said. “Must this issue be worked on in every committee?”
Committee Chairperson Cecilia Wilkstrom interjected, pointing out that the debate had turned political, and called for a vote as to see whether or not the petition should remain open, and whether LIBE should be informed to keep the committee informed of any developments. 7 voted in favour, while 5 voted against.
The petition was opened after the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia near her home last October.
It claims this is one of many “executions” over the past decade, which points to levels of corruption at all levels of government and administration in Malta.
There are also questions on the rule of law situation in Malta and asks the European Parliament to initiate an investigation as to whether the rights of the Maltese citizens and journalists, in particular, are being violated by the existing government.
The committee noted that the European Parliament, beyond the resolutions it passed on the subject, has already conducted a fact-finding mission to Malta between 30 November and 1 December 2017 to look into the state of the rule of law and the implementation of European anti-money laundering legislation (AML) in Malta
It also noted that there was a specific section in the country report, issued last month, which used strong language to refer o the inefficiencies and issues with the judicial system, corruption, and anti-money laundering legislation.