Public confidence in judiciary falls sharply, EU report says

The European Commission has warned that Malta has made little progress on several long-standing rule of law reforms, while public perceptions of judicial independence have fallen sharply over the past year.

In the latest Rule of Law report, the Commission said perceived judicial independence among the general public in Malta dropped significantly from 69 per cent in 2025 to 47 per cent this year.

Perceptions of judicial independence among businesses remained comparatively strong, rising slightly from 63% to 65%.

Perceptions of corruption in the public sector remain high with 87 per cent saying corruption is widespread, higher than the EU average.

The 2026 Special Eurobarometer on Corruption shows that 87% of respondents consider corruption widespread in Malta (EU average 71%) and 48% of respondents feel personally affected by corruption in their daily lives (EU average 30%).

In the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, Malta scores 49 out of 100 and ranks 22nd in the European Union and 60th globally. This perception has deteriorated over the past five years.

As regards businesses, 69% of companies consider that corruption is widespread (EU average 65%) and 41% consider that corruption is a problem when doing business (EU average 37%).

However, only 25 per cent of respondents find that there are enough successful prosecutions to deter people from corrupt practices (EU average 38%), while 38% of companies believe that people and businesses caught for bribing a senior official are appropriately punished (EU average 31%) .

The EC noted that most actions under the National Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy are reported to be completed, and the authorities are preparing a new strategy.

“While efforts continue to increase investigative capacity, there has been limited further progress on addressing challenges related to the length of investigations of high-level corruption cases, and no progress as regards establishing a robust track record of final judgments,” the report said.

The capacity of the Permanent Commission against Corruption (PCAC) to effectively contribute to the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases remains limited. Action remains to be taken to improve the overall ethics framework of the public administration.

The Commission said Malta has made little or no progress on several long-standing Rule of Law recommendations, including the involvement of the judiciary in the appointment of the Chief Justice, court delays, and the establishment of the National Human Rights Institution.  

It highlighted the need for “an increase in resources for the judiciary” in Malta despite an 11 per cent increase in the justice budget, ongoing staff recruitment and expansion of court premises.

It recommended digitalisation should advance further to improve the “efficiency of justice”.

More cases are being heard by the courts. The number of prosecutions reached 578 in 2025 (up from 492 in 2024), including 74 indictments for trial by jury (72 in 2024). However, the report noted there has been “no further progress” on the recommendation to improve the efficiency of the justice system, particularly to reduce the length of proceedings.

“Disposition time and clearance rate indicators for 2024 remained a concern and often showed further deterioration, although preliminary data for 2025 suggest some improvement.”

The reform of the compilation of evidence, intended to expedite criminal court procedures, is still pending, as is a reform of the legal profession, the report added.

In a statement, the Justice Ministry said the report highlighted justice reforms and “significant progress” made over the past year in upholding the rule of law by strengthening the justice sector, combatting corruption, safeguarding media freedom and reinforcing institutional standards and checks and balances.

The report recognises Malta’s progress towards a more specialised court system, particularly through the establishment of a fully-fledged Commercial Court and the reform of the Family Court, and the introduction of an online legal aid platform.

The ministry pointed at several other initiatives highlighted in the report aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability, including the operational launch of a digital whistleblowing portal, the introduction of an integrated e-management system for access-to-documents requests, and additional safeguards relating to media protection and governance.

It also highlights the adoption of legislation granting new powers to the media regulator and strengthening aspects of the independent governance of public service media.

Justice Minister Clifton Grima said the report’s findings reflect “substantial progress achieved by the government in recent years”.

He added strengthening the rule of law in Malta “remains a priority” and government will “continue pursuing an ambitious reform agenda through sustained investment, institutional strengthening and constructive engagement with European and international partners.”