The government will be instituting a long called for public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia within the three month timeframe stipulated by the Council of Europe.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela confirmed as much earlier today when speaking at media freedom event in London during a question and answer session.

Abela said at the event, "In that Council of Europe report there is that within three months, we need to have a public inquiry.  My Prime Minister has made it very clear that a public inquiry will be set up, and the public inquiry will be set up within the three months that the Council of Europe stated.

"The question is now how we can mitigate the possible difference and the possible impact that having a public inquiry at the same as a criminal investigation might have.  So the position now is that we will abide by the timing that the Council of Europe dictated but we need to make sure that one does not impinge on the other."

This was the first time a government minister has confirmed the government will establish a public inquiry into the journalist's murder since it was demanded by the Council of Europe.

In his address to the event, Abela had earlier stated that the holding such an inquiry was not about "if" but, rather, "when". This, he said, was because of other "pending inquiries and prosecutions" and that their integrity "needs to be preserved".