The European Union should acknowledge its failure in allowing a situation to develop in Malta that led to the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the rule of law NGO Repubblika said on Thursday.

In an open letter addressed to visiting European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, the NGO referred to the inquiry into the October 2017 car bomb murder which found that the state must bear responsibility for the assassination because it created an atmosphere of impunity in the highest level of the government.  

“We are sure that you agree that the development of such a state of affairs in a European Union member state is a failure for the Union itself,” Repubblika wrote.

“The impunity for corruption and wrongdoing in Malta had long been exposed and been brought to the attention of the European institutions, however it is our considered opinion that the European Union failed to sanction it in a timely manner. This failure allowed impunity to grow to such an extent that Daphne was assassinated.”

The NGO said it acknowledged the European Union’s support for a through investigation of the murder.

But it said the EU has a responsibility to acknowledge its failure in allowing such a situation to develop and take root in a member state, seek to understand the reasons that led to such failure and undertake the necessary measures to prevent the development of similar situations.

Ursula von der Leyen will visit Malta for a few hours on Thursday afternoon to meet Prime Minister Robert Abela and hand over the first tranche of assistance to Malta from the EU’s post COVID economic recovery fund.

In her State of the European Union address on Wednesday, von der Leyen praised Malta for judicial rule of law reforms and also paid tribute to Caruana Galizia when she said the commission will propose legislation to afford stronger protection for journalists.

Read the Repubblika letter in full by clicking on PDF below.