EP Accused of Double Standards over Malta

Hungarian governing Fidesz MEPs say it is a textbook case of double standards that the European Parliament is not as tough on Malta as it is on Poland and Hungary, despite serious concerns about the rule of law.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution titled “The Rule of Law in Malta, five years after the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia,” in Strasbourg on Thursday.

In its resolution adopted with 564 votes in favor, 10 against, and 17 abstentions, the parliament acknowledges the progress in ongoing judicial proceedings and the Maltese prime minister’s public apology for the state’s shortcomings that could have contributed to the murder. However, they “deeply regret that investigations have led to only three convictions related to the carrying out of her assassination,” and insist that “everyone involved, at every level, needs to be brought to justice, and the full and continuous involvement of Europol is needed,” according to the European Parliament’s statement.

The MEPs voiced a number of concerns, for example, they were appalled by “the lack of progress in prosecuting the high-level corruption and money laundering” that Daphne Caruana Galizia had been investigating, and were alarmed by the “institutional failure of law enforcement and justice.”

 

The decision was a clear example of the double standards because it said that rule of law concerns remain in Malta, but unlike in Hungary and Poland, no financial sanctions will be imposed on the Maltese government, MEPs of Hungary’s governing Fidesz party, Balázs Hidvéghi and László Trócsányi pointed out in a press statement.

“We are shocked that the authorities in Malta have delayed and ineffectively investigated the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The killing of a journalist is not only an inhumane murder but also the most brutal attack on press freedom and the rule of law itself. It is crucial that the authorities act with the necessary vigor at all times against the perpetrators of such crimes and ensure that freedoms are fully respected,” Trócsányi argued.

He added that when a left-wing government is in power in a country (Malta has been governed by the socialist Labour Party since 2013 – editor), the European Parliament is reluctant to speak out in defense of the rule of law and it ruins the credibility of the institution.

“In Malta, there was a politically motivated murder linked to the left-wing government, yet no rule of law proceedings were launched,” Hidvéghi pointed out, adding that while no real rule of law criteria were violated in Poland and Hungary, “the European left has launched an ideological attack on the right-wing governments of Hungary and Poland on the basis of made-up reasons.” “This is a textbook case of double standards,” concluded the MEP.

Photos via the European Parliament