The rule of law in Malta is under threat and on the brink of collapse, MEP Francis Zammit Dimech told European Parliament president Antonio Tajani during a meeting.

Speaking following his appointment as EPP Group rapporteur on “Media pluralism and media freedom in the European Union” within the CULT Committee which is responsible for media, Dr Zammit Dimech said he will be taking this commitment to address the current situation in Malta and shed light on oppression of the press especially in light of recent allegations related to bullying of the local media.

He reiterated that the Maltese did not trust the Police Commissioner, who, in the latest of a series of debacles did not find time to meet the Anti-Mafia Commission visiting Malta, even if calls had been made, including by Mr Tajani, for an international investigation with the involvement of Europol.

Dr Zammit Dimech said the Maltese were not to blame for the lack of trust in the Commissioner considering the person holding this post had changed five times within four years.

He told President Tajani that now, more than ever before, the Maltese needed the full support of European Institutions. For the brutal assassination was not only an assault on a journalist but also on the Maltese people’s own freedom of expression since they had now been deprived of a major source of information about issues of direct concern to them.

President Tajani said the European Parliament would stand firm behind the Caruana Galizia family and the people of Malta and would continue to follow the case closely. “Justice must prevail,” he said.