Amendment No. 1 | Doc. 14906 | 25 June 2019

Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination and the rule of law in Malta and beyond: ensuring that the whole truth emerges

Signatories: Mr Emanuel MALLIA, Malta, SOC ; Ms Ulviyye AGHAYEVA, Azerbaijan, FDG ; Ms Rosianne CUTAJAR, Malta, SOC ; Ms Vanessa D'AMBROSIO, San Marino, SOC ; Mr Marco GATTI, San Marino, EPP/CD ; Mr Etienne GRECH, Malta, SOC ; Ms Zita GURMAI, Hungary, SOC ; Mr Sabir HAJIYEV, Azerbaijan, SOC ; Mr Samad SEYIDOV, Azerbaijan, EC ; Mr Roger ZAVOLI, San Marino, FDG ; Mr Stefan ZRINZO AZZOPARDI, Malta, SOC ; Mr Barna Pál ZSIGMOND, Hungary, EPP/CD

Origin - 2019 - Third part-session

In the draft resolution, replace paragraph 4 with the following paragraphs:

“The Assembly concludes that the Maltese authorities should start a process that would examine the need for Constitutional reform to improve its system of checks and balances, along the lines suggested in the Opinion of the Venice Commission of 17 December 2018. The Assembly also recognizes that such reforms have to be owned by the Maltese people themselves who, particularly in view of Malta's position as a long-standing sovereign state with a democratc system and an active member of the international community of democratic states, are well placed to evaluate the viability and effect of such reforms on the constitutional, political, legal, economic and administrative environment in Malta.

The Assembly encourages the Maltese Government to implement such reforms in consultation with European institutions."

Explanatory note

The current wording of paragraph 4 is not justified and derives from speculative and one-sided media reports. They ignore pending Magisterial inquiries. Malta's track record as a long-standing democracy merits recognition and the sovereignty of the Maltese people in deciding upon constitutional change merits respect.