Prime Minister Robert Abela said that Malta will not put the rule of law on the back burner, as the country’s priorities must be kept at the same levels, serving as catalysts for a better attitude.

Addressing the delegation of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, which is in Malta on a three-day visit, Abela said that Malta has been implementing several reforms in reply to several recommendations made by committees in the European Union.

One of the reforms that Malta has implemented concerns the way in which the judiciary is appointed, and which came following recommendations from the Venice Commission.

Abela also said that there have been changes in the manner of the appointment of the Chief of Justice of Malta, where the government has given up all say in the nomination. Instead, the Chief of Justice must be appointed following a two-thirds majority vote in parliament.

Abela went on to say that the government has removed a lot of the absolute power it had on the method in which the Police Commissioner is appointed, where the preferred candidate who emerges from a public call would be presented before the parliamentary committees.

There has also been a segregation of the roles of the Attorney General and the State Attorney, whose functions previously merged into one. The roles have now been segregated in compliance with a recommendation from the Venice Commission, Abela said.

Abela acknowledged that there have been challenges and deficiencies shown in the report by MONEYVAL regarding the anti-money laundering sector, where the government has had to make major restructuring to be able to receive a certificate of approval.

He said that another challenge for the country was the greylisting by the FATF. Abela said that despite this, Malta was given the shortest action plan by FATF, of which the government is working on, and is looking forward to the upcoming FATF plenary session to determine the country’s greylisting status.

Abela mentioned that there has been the appointment of a committee of experts in the media to tackle the public inquiry following the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Abela said that importance has been given to the protection of journalists in Malta, and that government has presented a draft of proposals to introduce the discussion on the anti-SLAPP legislation.

“The reforms made were many, but the biggest reform was the change in attitude and culture. Malta’s rule of law is the key to attracting quality investments towards the country and we must have a robust rule of law,” Abela said. He added that there is still more to be done to address the needed reforms.

Abela said that Europe is facing another challenge after slowly coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, that of the Ukrainian war and inflation. He said that the country’s priority is to protect its citizens from rising prices.

Abela said that in the face of such a challenge, it is tempting to put the rule of law priority at the backburner, however the government will not adopt that attitude.

Dutch Chairperson of the Committee Sophie in 't Veld said that since the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Committee has been monitoring Malta and the issue of the rule of law has been on each country’s agenda.

She said that the rule of law has become crucial and conditional for receiving EU funds. In 't Veld added that since the last meetings it has had with Malta, there have been changes and several improvements, however the Committee will address several issues of concern during its meetings with the Maltese government, with “very specific questions to ask,” mentioning also Malta’s “very slow judicial process.”