The Bureau of the European Parliament, presided by the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, approved a proposal to create a prize for investigative journalism to be named after Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was assassinated on 16 October 2017. She had written extensively about corruption, money laundering, organised crime, sale of citizenships and the Panama Papers with links to the Maltese government. Due to her work, she was subjected to harassment and threats and was sued.

Three individuals had been initially arrested for the murder, as trial is still ongoing. All those who bear responsibility for the murder must be brought to justice, including all the individuals who ordered the killing.

On 15 November 2017, less than a month after Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered, the Plenary of the European Parliament approved a resolution calling for the creation of a ‘European Daphne Caruana Galizia prize for investigative journalism.’ However, it was only yesterday evening that the Bureau approved the proposal to have this prize created.

European Parliament Vice-President Heidi Hautala and European Parliament Quaestor David Casa hailed the creation of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Investigative Journalism under the patronage of the European Parliament.

Heidi Hautala and David Casa stated: “Daphne Caruana Galizia was a first class investigative journalist. She was courageous and fearless. She was assassinated because of her investigative work. She is an inspiration. Daphne must never be forgotten. The risks to investigative journalists are great and are on the increase. We must strive to ensure that they are allowed to work free from fear or favour. It is our hope that this prize will inspire others to be brave, resilient and uncompromising in their search for truth - just like Daphne”.

The Daphne Caruana Galizia prize, which follows the European Parliament’s decision to name the Press Room in Strasbourg in memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia, aims to honour European investigative journalists for their work and promote media freedom and freedom of expression.

Vice-President Hautala stated: "Today, the space for civil society and freedom of expression in Europe is shrinking and number of journalists and activists live in fear for their safety.  Too many democracies in Europe suffer from democratic erosion.  States have captured institutions which ought to be independent. 

Only by supporting freedom of expression and by protecting those who defend freedom of expression, will the democratic backsliding and state capture be reversed.  To flourish, democracy needs transparency and accountability. Only by exposing the rot within our governments can it be tackled.

Without the courage of people like Daphne Caruana Galizia much of the corruption will go unreported. Without her, many wrongdoings would have festered with impunity. She stood up for what is right, against the rule of might."

Quaestor Casa stated: “In the past weeks, I have made constant pressure to ensure that what Parliament voted for in the aftermath of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder is implemented. The European Parliament was always on the forefront in the protection of journalists, as well as to ensure that corruption and money laundering cases revealed by such journalists are investigated and those involved are brought to justice.”

“The latest revelations on the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, implicating the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta, are shocking. The Office of the Prime Minister is not only implicated in the assassination itself, but also in alleged obstruction of justice as well as a cover-up in relation to the murder. These are reasons for the Prime Minister to leave office today,” David Casa insisted.

As Members of the European Parliament’s Bureau Working Group on Information and Communication Policy, Heidi Hautala and David Casa will now be responsible, among others, to define the rules of the ‘Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Investigative Journalism’, which will then be approved by the Bureau.