Parliament rises for summer recess

Parliament rose for its summer recess on Monday evening after the government extended the legislature's final sitting to approve two Bills linked to European Union funding commitments.

The House had originally been expected to adjourn for the summer last Wednesday, but the final sitting was postponed to allow MPs to pass legislation concerning specialised administrative tribunals, the Permanent Commission Against Corruption and administrative justice.

Justice Minister Clifton Grima said the reforms strengthen the rule of law, democracy and access to justice, while fulfilling commitments made under the government's electoral manifesto and Malta's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) obligations.

One of the Bills removes the government's power to appoint members of specialised administrative tribunals and transfers it to an independent commission made up of a retired judge or magistrate and four members recognised for their integrity and competence.

Under the new framework, appointments to a number of specialised tribunals will be made through a public, competitive and merit-based process. The government said the reform builds on changes introduced in 2020 to the judicial appointments process, when responsibility for appointing members of the judiciary was also removed from the executive.

A second Bill broadened the scope for judicial scrutiny of decisions by the Attorney General not to prosecute in criminal cases where the law permits prosecutorial discretion. According to the government, the changes are intended to improve transparency, accountability and access to justice.

Grima said the reforms were developed following discussions with the European Commission as part of Malta's RRF commitments.