Parliament vote shows Commission must begin Rule of Law dialogue

Today, on the initiative of the Greens/EFA group, the European Parliament has just voted on a resolution on the Rule of Law in Malta, after the recent revelations around the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The vote calls on the Commission to enter into dialogue with the Maltese Government in the context of the Rule of Law Framework. In recent weeks, close allies of the Prime Minister Joseph Muscat have resigned and been implicated in the murder. PM Muscat has said he will step down in January.

Sven Giegold, Greens/EFA MEP who went on the recent Parliament mission to Malta, comments:

"Our vote today shows that the European Parliament is standing up for all the people of Malta in defending their right to live in a European country based on the rule of law. The spin and bluster from the Maltese Labour party, which we saw this week in the European Parliament, proves that the Maltese government is not serious about tackling the widespread problems that lead to the assassination of the country's most prominent journalist."

"The European Commission can no longer turn a blind eye to the culture of impunity when it comes to money laundering and corruption in Malta. The newly elected Commission must begin dialogue with the Maltese government on the rule of law with a view to commencing Article 7 proceedings, if no immediate progress is made from the Maltese side."

"Rampant money laundering, the selling of passports and high-level corruption demonstrate a systematic non-application of the rule of law. The weakest link in our Union is all of our problem. The Commission must launch infringement proceedings to ensure Malta fully complies with EU law on anti-money laundering, banking supervision, judicial independence, public procurement and planning. The sale of Maltese passports is a blatant violation of the obligation to cooperate sincerely between member states. Infringement actions need to be launched immediately.”

Resolution on the rule of law in Malta:
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/B-9-2019-0240_EN.html