Media reform: Malta urgently needs an environment that protects journalists

The reply by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers to PACE questions on journalists’ safety has confirmed that Bills 17, 18, and 19 remain the basis of Malta government’s planned reforms, despite their failure to meet the standards our country deserves.

Malta urgently needs an environment that protects journalists, guarantees the public’s right to know, and rebuilds trust in democracy. If the reform process delivers weak legislation and only symbolic institutional change, the reform will have failed.

Meaningful reform is critical if Malta is to make another journalist’s assassination not only impossible, but unimaginable. There is no middle ground. Malta must dismantle networks of corruption and impunity and install safeguards against their continued growth.

Reforms should exclude any measures that undermine democracy or fail to meet the standards set by instruments such as Committee of Ministers Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)4 and European Commission Recommendation (EU) 2021/1534 on ensuring the protection, safety and empowerment of journalists and other media professionals in the European Union.

We are ready to engage constructively with the Maltese Government and all stakeholders in implementing genuine reform that complies with the findings and recommendations of the public inquiry into Daphne’s assassination and which meets international standards.