Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1519224
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 17 APRIL 2024 NEWS MATTHEW AGIUS magius@mediatoday.com.mt KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt REKS GEN SERVICES LTD – C79588 registered office at 881, St Joseph High Street, Hamrun. The director Mr Saviour Azzopardi intends to register for an employment agency, temporary work agency and/or outsourcing agency license in terms of the DIER requirements: The activities proposed to be carried out are the following: Recruitment consultancy, Interviewing, selection and placements of candidates in employment and Recruitment of persons from abroad to employment in Malta or in an EU member site. TWO pro-life groups have writ- ten to the Prime Minister asking him to formally declare Malta's opposition to the inclusion of abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Life Network Foundation and Doctors for Life want the govern- ment to publicly oppose the Eu- ropean Parliament's non-binding resolution to include abortion in the charter. The pro-life organisations also want the government to make a clear statement that the matter of abortion will "always remain a matter to be decided by Malta and its institutions and no one else". The EU has no competence as to whether abortion should be legalised or not since this is a matter for the individual member states to decide. The European Parliament has often passed res- olutions calling on member states to ensure access to safe and legal abortion for women is safeguard- ed. In its latest resolution, the EP called for abortion to be included in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, something that can only be done if all 27 member states agree. But the EP also singled out Malta and asked for abortion to be decriminalised. When Malta joined the EU in 2004, its Treaty of Accession em- phasised that regardless of what the Treaties say, abortion will re- main something to be decided by Malta. The pro-life organisations said Malta had to ensure that "its sov- ereignty and mothers and unborn babies will continue to be pro- tected". Malta is the only EU state where abortion is illegal with the only exception being if the woman's life is in danger. Pro-life groups want Prime Minister to oppose inclusion of abortion in EU rights charter Daphne's Law, anti-SLAPP directive, becomes EU law THE EU's anti-SLAPP directive, adopted by the European Parlia- ment on 27th February this year, has been published today in the Official Gazette, six years and six months to the day since journal- ist Daphne Caruana Galizia's as- sassination on October 16, 2017. The directive, which sets min- imum standards for protecting journalists, activists, academ- ics, and other public watchdogs against abusive litigation across the EU, had been adopted by the European Parliament on 27 Feb- ruary this year. It was dubbed "Daphne's Law" by European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová, in memory of murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who had been the target of 48 such lawsuits at the time of her death. The Maltese government had proposed it's own anti-SLAPP law in the wake of the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry findings, but these were shot down as weak and ineffective by journalists and campaigners. Neither was a reworking of the government's proposals by a Media Experts Committee well received when it was first pub- lished in 2022. The Media Ex- perts Committee subsequently revisited the legislation after a public consultation exercise, submitting its final report in July last year. "The EU anti-SLAPP directive was brought about by a coali- tion of the willing in Malta and beyond, inspired by the horrific experience of Daphne Caruana Galizia who faced 48 abusive lawsuits at the time of her as- sassination, some of which are still active more than six years and six months after her death," said the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation in a press statement issued to mark the adoption of the directive by the European Parliament. In September 2021, Malta had promised to be the first Euro- pean country to introduce an- ti-SLAPP legislation and Prime Minister Abela has recently ex- pressed his wish to see the di- rective implemented as soon as possible. National legislation across the EU must meet or exceed the standards set by the new direc- tive, as well as the human rights standards set by the Council of Europe Recommendation adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 5th April 2024. In line with the European Commission's anti-SLAPP Rec- ommendation, new anti-SLAPP legislation across the EU must be accompanied by other measures, which includes training the judi- ciary and lawyers to ensure that the anti-SLAPP system is robust. The ball is now in the govern- ment's court to transpose the directive into local legislation, said the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation. "It is now up to Malta's govern- ment parliament to ensure this happens without compromis- ing the spirit and standards of Daphne's Law." This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author's view. The action was co-financed by the European Union in the frame of the European Parliament's grant programme in the field of communication. The European Parliament was not involved in its preparation and is, in no case, responsible for or bound by the information or opinions expressed in the context of this action. In accordance with applicable law, the authors, interviewed people, publishers or programme broadcasters are solely responsible. The European Parliament can also not be held liable for direct or indirect damage that may result from the implementation of the action. The EU's anti-SLAPP directive, adopted by the European Parliament on 27th February this year, has been published today in the Official Gazette Life Network Foundation and Doctors for Life write to Prime Minister seeking declaration against inclusion of abortion in EU Charter of Fundamental Rights