MEPs to visit Malta in follow-up mission over rule of law

A delegation of eight MEPs from the European Parliament's civil liberties commnittee will visit Slovakia and Malta 17-19 September to look into the situation of rule of law, corruption and safety of journalists in the two countries.

The aim of the ad hoc delegation visit is to take stock of the developments in Malta and Slovakia and continue the work based on the results of the previous missions to the two countries.

The mission was recommended by the new monitoring group on rule of law and the fight against corruption set up by the Civil Liberties Committee in June. The group specifically addresses the situation in Malta and Slovakia.

The Chair of the monitoring group, Sophie in ‘t Veld (ALDE, NL), said: "We stand side by side with the families and friends of the murdered journalists in Malta and Slovakia. The murders must be resolved, there must not be impunity. Journalists need to know they can do their work in safety. We will visit Malta and Slovakia again, to get further answers and a clear picture of the state of affairs. This visit must also be seen in the context of our aim to ensure the Rule of Law is upheld throughout the European Union. There are serious concerns about specific problems in both countries, which affect the European Union as a whole."

MEPs participating in the delegation and the mission programme will be defined after the summer.

The European Parliament is concerned about progress in both murder investigations, repeated claims of harassment and intimidation of journalists and persistent allegations of corruption and fraud. The group’s mandate, until 31 December, foresees the possibility of hearings, meetings, fact finding missions, reporting back to the European Parliament and the adoption of a final resolution.

The group is chaired by Sophia in ‘t Veld (ALDE, NL). Other members include Roberta Metsola (EPP, MT), Josef Weidenholzer (S&D, AT),  Anders Primdahl Vistisen (ECR, DK), Judith Sargentini (Greens, NL), Barbara Spinelli (GUE, IT) and Laura Ferrara (EFDD, IT). ENF has not yet appointed its representative. 

Following the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a delegation of MEPs travelled to Malta (December 2017) to assess the state of rule of law and the implementation of European anti-money laundering legislation. MEPs were also in Slovakia (March 2018) after the killing of Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová.