11 Amendments of David CASA related to 2023/2113(INI)
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 38 a (new)
Citation 38 a (new)
– having regard to its resolution of 19 October 2023 on the rule of law in Malta, six years after the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, and the need to protect journalists
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines that Member State government and EU officials should set an example by refraining from any corrupt practices and that there should be no government or political interference in corruption investigations; calls on the DFRMG to follow up on European Parliament resolutions on the rule of law to help combat impunity for corruption; points out that EU officials as well may be involved in corruption, as demonstrated by ‘Qatargate’, therefore reiterates its demand for the annual report to also cover the EU institutions;
Amendment 101 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Notes that corruption may involve national authorities, including judicial and police authorities, who are the very authorities who are supposed to be combating it; remains concerned that no substantial progress has been made in eliminating the culture of impunity at the highest level in Malta identified by the independent public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia; considers that EU bodies, such as Europol, could play an important role in investigating corruption and securing evidence, but that the requirement for national approval of Europol involvement is an obstacle; calls for the reinforcement of the Europol mandate to enable it to investigate corruption cases of the kind described above;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that the Commission finds the situation varies greatly among the Member States, with some developments in the right direction in Cyprus, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia and Poland, with challenges remaining in Lithuania, Hungary and Croatia, with still no national human rights institution established at all in Italy, Czechia, Malta and Romania, with delays in appointments in various independent authorities in Bulgaria, Spain and Austria, and with Poland putting the effective functioning of the Supreme Audit Office at risk; notes with great concern the recent developments in Greece, where independent authorities such as the Hellenic Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (ADAE) and the Greek Data Protection Authority have been under increasing pressure due to their work concerning the illegitimate use of spyware, with the ADAE’s Board Members having been replaced hurriedly recently by the Greek Parliament, apparently because of ADAE’s imminent decision to impose a fine on the Greek intelligence agency; notes that the Commission assessed the continued deterioration of the justice system in Malta, and expresses concern at the comments of the Maltese judiciary on the persistent failure of authorities to address the problems of courts which enables further deterioration of efficiency of justice and therefore in the rule of law;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses the importance of the editorial independence of public service media and the duty of all Member States to respect this; notes that the risk to editorial autonomy and political independence of the media in Malta remains ‘high’ while the general conditions continued to deteriorate after the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Regrets the worrying trends in the safety of journalists in several Member States; notes that the Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists has registered more than 1 600 threat alerts since 2015; regrets the intimidation of journalist during election campaigns, such as recently happened in the election in Slovakia; regrets Malta’s failure to improve the working condition of journalists since the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, including by effectively implementing the recommendations of the public inquiry report of 29 July 2021;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Regrets that despite concerns raised by various international organisations, Malta’s proposed anti-SLAPP provisions are not sufficient to protect the work of journalists30 ; re-iterates its call for those politicians, including the Maltese former prime minister, to withdraw the libel cases inherited by Daphne Caruana Galizia’s heirs that are still ongoing years after her assassination; calls on the Greek government to address the serious challenges identified by the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), an alliance that tracks, monitors and reacts to violations of press and media freedom, in particular related to arbitrary surveillance, impunity or crimes against journalists, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), media independence and pluralism31 ; notes with great concern the recent detention of a reporter by the French authorities, apparently for the purpose of uncovering her sources, as well as the illegal wiretapping of a Dutch journalist working for ‘De Correspondent’; __________________ 30 Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Letter to the Speaker of the House of Malta, 26 September 2023. 31 International Press Institute, Murdered, surveilled and sued: decisive action needed to protect journalists and salvage press freedom in Greece, 27 September 2023.
Amendment 144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls for the EU institutions to reach a swift agreement on an ambitious anti-SLAPP directive; calls on the Commission to explore the possibility of further legislation to cover all SLAPP cases; calls on the Member States to adopt domestic anti-SLAPP measures in accordance with Commission Recommendation (EU) 2022/758 of 27 April 2022;
Amendment 148 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Strongly condemns the lack of serious investigation into the murder of Giorgos Karaivaz; notes that the two alleged killers were arrested more than two years after the murder on the basis of evidence that appears to have been available to the police the entire time; considers that the mastermind behind the murder has still not been identified; notes that Karaivaz – like Daphne Caruana Galizia and Ján Kuciak – was investigating corruption and crime, and may have made enemies in high places, including in political circles; points out that the suspected mastermind of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia has still not been triconvicted, nor have all the cases of corruption and crime she was investigating been adequately addressed by the authorities;
Amendment 154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Regrets the continuous difficulties that many citizens, journalists and parliamentarians in many Member States face in obtaining information and access to documents; underlines that too often public authorities are deliberately frustrating access to information and documents, such as by disproportionately delaying decisions or giving only artificial access by only making information partially available; re- iterates its call on Malta to withdraw its systematic appeals against freedom of information requests filed about the use of public funds in the media;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Reaffirms that women’s rights are human rights and that nothing can justify a regression in women’s rights and autonomy; condemns in particular the attack on the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls taking place in several Member States; believes that the right to safe and legal abortion should be anchored in the Charter of Fundamental Rights;