Malta’s failure to implement measures to protect journalists / Malta's failure to implement the recommendations of the public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia / Eight years after the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia: where is Malta in the implementation of the Council of Europe's recommendations?
Reply to Written question
| Doc. 16321
| 19 January 2026
1. The Committee of Ministers thanks the
Honourable Members for their questions. It recalls that a number of
Council of Europe bodies, among them the Commissioner for Human
Rights, GRECO and MONEYVAL, as well as other international organisations,
including the EU and OSCE-ODIHR, have examined the media freedom,
corruption and rule of law questions raised following the tragic
assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, as well as the implementation
of the recommendations of the subsequent public inquiry.
2. The Committee of Ministers refers to its reply to Written
Question No. 786, adopted at its 1482nd meeting on
29 November 2023, on the same issue. It notes that further information
is now available in GRECO’s Second Compliance Report on Malta, adopted
on 1 December 2023 and published on 21 March 2024, as well as the
Addendum to this report adopted by GRECO at its 100th plenary
meeting on 6 June 2025 and published on 28 November 2025. The Committee
notes that three of the four recommendations aimed at the shortcomings
highlighted following the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia
(recommendations xiii, xvi and xxii) have now been implemented satisfactorily
or partly implemented, while one remains not implemented (recommendation
xiv).
3. While noting the concerns raised by the Honourable Members,
the Committee informs them of the following information provided
by the Maltese authorities on the steps taken to implement the recommendations
of the public inquiry and to ensure the safety of journalists.
4. Since 2018, Malta has implemented a series of reforms in line
with European standards and Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation
CM/Rec(2016)4 on
the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists, including
the following: the adoption of the Media and Defamation Act, which
modernised Malta’s media laws and repealed criminal libel; the transposition
of the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive into national law; the establishment
of the Committee of Experts on Media in 2022; and the introduction
of three dedicated bills in parliament designed to further strengthen
the legal and constitutional framework in this area. A national
public consultation on these bills has been launched and following
its conclusion on 31 October 2025, all feedback is being carefully
considered before advancing the legislative process in parliament.
5. Malta has also taken steps to operationalise journalist protection
in practice, including by the 2021 integration of media relations
training into the curriculum of the Malta Police Force, developed
in co-operation with the Institute of Maltese Journalists, and by
establishing a dedicated liaison point with the Institute to ensure strengthened
dialogue and democratic oversight.
6. Since January 2023, the Malta Police Force introduced a new
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for threats to life, which includes
specific provisions for the protection of journalists and public
figures. The SOP is supported by newly established specialised intelligence
units to respond to threats in a timely and co-ordinated manner.
7. As concerns the perpetrators of the assassination, five individuals
have been found guilty; two are serving life sentences and the other
three are serving long-term prison sentences. A sixth person, the
alleged mastermind, is currently awaiting trial by jury.
8. Lastly, Malta reassured the Committee of Ministers that the
protection of journalists remains a key priority of Malta’s foreign
policy, highlighted in particular during its OSCE Chairpersonship
last year as well as in its recent presidency of the Council of
Europe.
9. The Committee of Ministers will keep these matters under review
in the context of the reports of its specialised bodies.
