European report on media freedom says Maltese anti-SLAPP laws have fallen short

A report by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) has highlighted that Malta's efforts to protect journalists and activists against SLAPPs have fallen short. 

The report, which is the fourth annual report by Liberties, assesses the state of media freedom in 21 EU Member States, including Malta, based on research and input from member and partner organisations.

The report examined key areas such as media freedom and pluralism, the safety and protection of journalists, and freedom of expression and information. 

While noting the fact that Malta was the first EU state to transpose the EU’s Anti-SLAPP Directive, the report flags “serious gaps and deficiencies.” 

The Liberties report mentions that in August 2024, civil society groups including the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation wrote to the Prime Minister and justice minister to highlight the shortcomings, but they “received no response and were not consulted prior to final passage of the legislation.”

Among other aspects of the Maltese media landscape covered by the report is Malta’s high concentration of media ownership, specifically the party-controlled media outlets.

The report also flags the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) which is “not free of political interference, with much of the reporting peppered with bias towards the party in government.”

The report also mentions the verbal attacks against journalists. It mentions an incident when Prime Minister Robert Abela accused journalists and their outlets of working for “the establishment,” leading the Institute of Maltese Journalists to issue statements condemning these implications that journalists are enemies of the state and the people.

Furthermore, the Liberties Media Freedom Report 2025 stresses the need to fully implement the recommendations of the public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination. 

Finally, the report stresses the importance for Malta to fully and faithfully enforce the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). The report underscores that this EU legislation is designed to address many of the critical threats to media freedom identified in the report.

Overall, the Liberties Media Freedom Report 2025 suggests that Malta needs to undertake significant reforms to align its national laws and practices with European standards on media freedom and pluralism.