As I write, the main news item in the international press is that of an "active invitation" by the US for a 30-day ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine seems to have accepted the offer, but Russia is yet to confirm. This is already an important step forward in the hope that this war ends. Of course, it takes two to tango - Russia needs to accept too. 

In the meantime, Politico, the influential Brussels newspaper, is reporting about the deep concerns by French and German citizens regarding the EU's drive to invest huge amounts of money in a European defence system. The Dutch Parliament voted against plans by its own government to support the EU Commission's ReARM deal. 

At the last EU Summit, leaders were asked to support the European Commission's plan to invest in weapons and a stronger defence system.  Roberta Metsola said that it was damn time.  Malta, through Prime Minister Robert Abela, made it abundantly clear that whilst Malta shall not disrupt the EU's plans in this regard, however, Malta will not use the money, to be loaned to EU member states, to prop up its defence, and neither will the Maltese taxpayers make good for any loans taken out by other member states. 

Malta will neither borrow nor invest any money to purchase weapons of mass destruction and the council conclusions reflected this strong point.   This is a feather in the cap of Prime Minister Abela. 

At the same time Malta will keep standing for what is right and will keep supporting Ukraine through non-military, non-lethal means while actively supporting the finding of solution which will cement peace and prosperity.  

Meanwhile, Politico reported that there are major dilemmas for other European leaders, who want to spend money on weapons at the expense of not investing in areas that benefit the people, such as education, health and social services. 

The French President, Emmanuel Macron, said that he would not increase taxes, but the French opposition parties raised doubts about from where the French government would get the money to support such spending on weapons. 

The German government is facing the same situation as its citizens. 

In Malta, the effectively Nationalist Party took the government to task for refusing to loan out money to buy weapons. Bernard Grech was resolute that Malta should have followed suit. This incident exposed a strong ideological divide between the main political parties. On the one hand, the Labour Party remains true to its belief that Malta should be an interlocutor for peace and that with weapons in hand, peace cannot be achieved. On the other hand, the Nationalist Party wants is pro-ReArm rather than in favour of pursuing a pro-neutrality and pro-peace approach. 

I am proud to be part of the Labour Party that has, since its existence, been a strong advocate for peace in Europe and the Mediterranean.

Cruel politics

 Jason Azzopardi did it again. The Court has thrown out three requests for magisterial inquiries that he made on the eve of Christmas 2024 against Minister Clint Camilleri, his wife, and others. Since then, Azzopardi lashed out at Minister Camilleri several times, alleging corruption and wrongdoing. The Nationalist Party media played along, dedicating entire newspaper editions and countless news items on its online news portal, rehashing Azzopardi's allegations. 

The Court has now decided that Azzopardi's requests did not stand and threw them out into the cold. Azzopardi ended up, yet again, with the proverbial egg on his face. 

This is not the first time that the former Nationalist MP had his requests for magisterial inquiries against Cabinet members rejected. He tried to open inquiries against Minister Silvio Schembri and his expectant wife. The courts threw out Azzopardi's requests. 

The Repubblika lawyer lost libel proceedings, instituted against him, by Cabinet Secretary Ryan Spagnol, after Azzopardi alleged wrongdoing. The same happened in the case of Labour MP Carmelo Abela, whom Azzopardi dragged through mud for months on end until the Courts decided that Azzopardi had lied 

I, too, was at the receiving end of Azzopardi's cruel way of doing politics until he himself retracted his statements, therefore reaffirming my innocence. 

But Jason Azzopardi is not alone in engaging in this type of politics that attacks people personally and causes untold harm and misery to their loved ones. The Nationalist Party also employs the same tactics - no wonder that the electorate has denied them government since 2013 and will deny them again. 

Faced with this cruel way of doing politics, the government is leading a much-needed reform in the way that magisterial inquiries are called for by individuals. The purpose of this reform is to ensure that the likes of Jason Azzopardi no longer use our justice system to inflict misery on citizens, whoever they are. The Nationalist Party is fighting this reform tooth and nail, but then we are not surprised. 

Media Literacy 

I was recently invited to deliver a speech at the opening of the Media Literacy Development Board national conference. It was a very interesting occasion whereby we discussed the importance of media literacy in a digital world full of information and disinformation. 

I said that false and misleading information affects us all, as we form opinions on matters that affect us in our daily lives: climate change, health; the environment; education; issues of race and gender and many other matters. 

I expressed my concern that fake news is not only having a negative impact on supposedly free elections in the Western world, but it is also having an impact, often catastrophic, on the world of science. And a factor that makes fake news even more worrying is that many people, perhaps also because of today's fast-paced world, tend to read only the headline of a story and if the headline is misleading the fake news will spread. 

With the rise of platforms like ChatGPT, while such platforms can be an indispensable aid in obtaining information, they can also be a source of disinformation. 

A recently published Youth Eurobarometer shows that Malta is the EU member state where the youngest people, 59%, said they had been exposed to disinformation and fake news. 

On a positive note, the survey also found that Malta was also the member state where the highest percentage of respondents felt very confident that they could recognize disinformation when they came across it (38% of Maltese respondents). In addition, a further 50% felt somewhat confident that they could do so. 

The Media Literacy Development Board was established in 2021 following an amendment to the Broadcasting Act and now falls under the mandate of the Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government which I have the privilege to lead. 

We have national strategies that promote media literacy and online safety. But of course, more needs to be done. As always, education is key, especially in this respect. 

Malta-Bulgaria 

Her Excellency, Anne Marie Muscat Fenech Adami invited me to address an event to celebrate the deep friendship between Malta and Bulgaria. It was a pleasant evening and very well organised. 

Although not a lot is said and written about the relations between our two countries, it is worth noting that Malta and Bulgaria have been friends for 54 years. Our nations have stood shoulder to shoulder as allies since then. Now that we are both members of the European Union, we have each other's back on matters, which include peace promotion and security within the EU. 

Over the years, a sizable community of Bulgarian nationals developed in Malta and have become our brothers and sisters. Members of the Maltese business community have also invested in the Bulgarian economy. 

Low-cost airlines have given better access to our respective countries to a larger number of Maltese and Bulgarians 

As of this year, a major low-cost airline introduced a five-day-a-week flight schedule between the two countries from mid-February to October 2025. 

This development marks a significant step in strengthening bilateral relations, encouraging tourism, business, and cultural exchange.