The European Commission has stepped up infringement proceedings against Malta for failing to transpose a directive on victims' rights, giving Malta a two-month ultimatum to do so.
In a reasoned opinion published on Thursday, the commission said that Malta had not yet addressed its concerns and had not yet implemented several provisions of the Victims’ Rights Directive such as the right to be informed about both the victims' rights and the case, or the right to support and protection.
The infringement procedure was started in July 2019 with a letter of formal notice.
The directive applies to victims of all crime regardless of their nationality and regardless of where in the EU the crime happens. The rules give victims clear rights to access information, to participate in criminal proceedings and to receive support and protection adapted to their needs. This also includes additional protection for vulnerable victims during criminal proceedings.
Infringement proceedings for incomplete transposition are also currently ongoing also against Belgium, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland and Romania.
Malta now has two months to fully transpose the directive into its laws, or risk having the case referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Infringement procedure over EU radiation protection in drinking water
The commission on Thursday also issued a letter of formal notice over Malta’s failure to transpose the Euratom Drinking Water Directive. It accused Malta and Bulgaria of not complying with all the requirements of the directive related to the monitoring of radioactive substances.
The directive sets out parametric values, frequencies and methods for monitoring those substances and provides for the establishment of monitoring programmes to check that drinking water meets the requirements of the directive.
In addition, the directive requires that people are 'adequately and appropriately' informed of the quality of the water they consume. Malta and Bulgaria now have two months to reply to the arguments raised by the Commission or else face an escalation by way of a reasoned opinion.
Malta yellow-carded on aircraft operations
The Commission also issued a letter of formal notice to Malta, among other countries, for failing to provide and operate data link services for all operators of aircraft flying within airspace under their responsibility and which are capable of data link communications.
That follows letters of formal notice sent last May.
Data link services are communications between aircraft and the ground that are conveyed through data links, complementing the voice communications used traditionally within air traffic control. The deployment of this interoperable technology in Europe is essential to improving the efficiency of communications between pilots and controllers, thereby increasing air traffic control capacity, the commission said.
The deadline expired on February 5, 2018. Malta now has one month to address the commission's concerns or else face a reasoned opinion.