The European Union was urged on Thursday to formally carry out an evaluation of the operations of Identity Malta following claims of large-scale fraud in the issuing of identity documents.

Nationalist MEP Peter Agius had a meeting with European Commissioner Ilva Johansson, where he made the request.

The Schengen Evaluation and Monitoring Mechanism Regulation 2022/922 provides for general or thematic evaluations to assess practices at local authorities in charge of administering Schengen rules. The Schengen rules cover the movement of people across EU borders, using only their ID cards.

Lawyer and former minister Jason Azzopardi claimed earlier this year that up to 18,000 identity cards were fraudulently issued by Identity Malta in an organised ‘documents for money’ racket.

This, Agius said on Wednesday, had resulted in an erosion of public trust in Malta’s identity card system, which ultimately gives freedom of movement to the whole European Union Schengen area.

"To restore trust in our ID cards system we need concrete public action. Unfortunately, the government remains in denial and the PN's calls for action fell on deaf ears. I am thus calling on the European Commission to assist with its technical tools to review current practices at Identity Malta through an evaluation as per the Schengen Regulation,’’ he said. 

‘The European Commission can help us improve our enjoyment of European rights. We must not shy away from using EU tools to improve local practices where these are evidently failing us. This is why the Maltese joined the UE after all, to improve our quality of life including our security. Government’s insistence to deny public action on the massive failure with Malta’s ID card system amounts to obstinate arrogance,"  Agius said.