The European Commission’s annual report continues to confirm the Government’s priority in the Justice sector and highlights various noteworthy and significant developments that have occurred in Malta over the past year to strengthen the rule of law.
For another consecutive year, the Commission highlighted that the perceived independence of Malta’s judiciary continues to remain high amongst the public and among companies. In addition, the Commission positively noted the Government’s efforts to involve the Judiciary in the appointment of the Chief Justice, and to improve the efficiency of the length of proceedings through the constitutional reform that was debated in Parliament. Regrettably, the Government was unable to implement this recommendation due to lack of cooperation from the Opposition, as the amendment required a two-thirds majority for its approval.
Nevertheless, the report commends the progress achieved by the Government in improving the efficiency of the Justice system, in shifting towards more specialisation in the Courts, in particular with the wide-spread public consultation on the Family Law reform, the publication of the bill which will be establishing a fully-fledged Commercial Court and adding another hall for juries, amongst other consistent reforms aimed at strengthening the legislative framework to provide for a more efficiency and effective justice system.
The report further highlights noteworthy achievement adopted in the previous year to improve the capacity of investigative authorities and of the Office of the Attorney General further through increased human resources and the development of new tools to reduce the length of investigations and strengthen prosecutions. The report alludes to the significant increase of number of prosecutions initiated by the Office of the Attorney General, from 11 in 2020 to 492 in 2024.
In addition, the Commission has recognised the continuous implementation of the National Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy and the plans to improve the human resources for integrity in the public service, as well as integrity measures for police officers.
Regarding media reform, the Commission welcomed Malta’s ongoing preparation on the legislation aimed at providing the media regulator with new competences, including as regards scrutiny over mergers in the media market and the allocation of state advertising. These reforms build on Malta’s pioneering step as the first EU Member State to transpose the Anti-SLAPP Directive into national law.
Minister for Justice and Reform of the Construction Sector, Jonathan Attard, emphasised the Government’s unwavering dedication to reinforce the rule of law in Malta. He also affirmed the Government’s active commitment to continue strengthening good governance and its ongoing efforts to implement tangible reforms that further reinforce the rule of law and address challenges in a comprehensive and effective manner.
