Moje delo | Irena Joveva

On Tuesday, 21 October 2025, MEP Irena Joveva took part in a plenary debate on the slow judiciary and the decline of the rule of law in Malta eight years after the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. She strongly condemned the Maltese government and the competent institutions for not having served justice despite the high profile of her murder.

”There are fraudsters everywhere you look,” Joveva began by recalling the words of the late Daphne Caruana Galizia, emphasizing that these words unfortunately still describe the situation in Malta today.

According to Joveva, the late Daphne embodied the fundamental values of democracy with her journalistic work, and it was for them that she ultimately paid the highest price:

”She spoke the truth, exposed corruption, demanded accountability. Everything that should be taken for granted in a democracy.”

But despite the resonance of her work and her equally resonant murder, justice has still not been served.

”Those who pulled the trigger are in prison. Those who gave the order are at large. And those who obstructed the investigation are still in their positions.”

In doing so, the MEP criticized the Maltese government for preferring to remove flowers from the memorial site of the murdered journalist instead of ensuring justice and protecting media freedom.

Joveva continued by drawing attention to the findings of the competent institutions, which indicate a complete lack of progress in reforms. As she pointed out, no corruption case in Malta has so far ended with a final conviction, while journalists continue to work in a hostile and dangerous environment. At the same time, she explained that this is not just a Maltese, but a pan-European problem, as the entire Union suffers without accountability.

In conclusion, MEP Joveva expressed her belief that it is high time for real measures and changes to the situation, which Daphne had also warned about all her life:

”Let there be no thieves where our lives are decided.”

EP/Alain ROLLAND

MEP Irena Joveva discussed the situation of one year after the Morocco and Qatargate scandals – a review of measures to increase transparency and accountability in the European institutions at the plenary session in Strasbourg on Wednesday, December 13th 2023. She stressed, among other things, that weak measures strengthen political forces whose only goal is self-interest.

Joveva initially warned that the two scandals in question had severely damaged the credibility of the European Union, and people had rightly lost trust.

“I actually wonder myself how much corruption is still undisclosed. How much influence, illegal lobbying, or partial interests of MPs is there? How can many in this house still receive such large sums of money for sitting on various company supervisory boards?”

Unfortunately, not much has changed in this one year, the MP added. The ethics body, which is a toothless tiger anyway, is still not functioning.

“Transparency is necessary, but it is not enough. We need a serious body with the authority to investigate all conflicts of interest, to punish all illegalities.”

Joveva went on to emphasize that these basic standards are, after all, a necessary condition for democracy. Otherwise, it seems as if everyone in politics is the same:

“We are not, but through weak measures, political forces are being strengthened whose only goal is self-interest. The Qatargate case will remain a stain on the European Union. Let us take responsibility. Let us kill corruption with decisive measures and put corrupt politicians where they belong. Behind bars.”

You can watch the full speech here.

BACKGROUND

The Qatargate affair is a corruption scandal involving allegations that the governments of Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania, through European officials and lobbyists, attempted to influence decision-making in the European Parliament in their favor. The affair was first reported in December last year, when law enforcement authorities in Belgium, Italy and Greece seized a total of $1.6 million in cash. Eight people have been arrested on charges of corruption, organized crime and money laundering. Among the eight arrested is Eva Kailli, now a former vice-president of the European Parliament, who is at the center of the affair, where the defendants are accused of trading in political influence.

The arrests were immediately followed by a series of strong condemnations in the European Union, with the European Parliament, as the Union’s legislative body, committing to introducing the necessary reforms in the fight against corruption. In January this year, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, presented a 14-point plan to reform the European Parliament’s ethics and transparency framework. In September, Parliament adopted a number of changes aimed at strengthening integrity, independence and accountability. The adopted reforms strengthened the rules on the transparency of MEPs’ declarations of private interests, included stricter penalties for breaches of the code of conduct, provided for clearer rules on the prevention of conflicts of interest and included mandatory declarations on the disclosure of meetings with lobbyists. The new code of conduct for MEPs entered into force in November.

Photo: EP – PHILIPPE BUISSIN

“Let there be no thieves where our lives are decided”

”Meek measures strengthen political forces whose only goal is self-interest.”