Plenarni nagovor | 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

On Thursday, 9 October 2025, Member of the European Parliament Irena Joveva took part in the plenary debate marking World Mental Health Day, stressing that mental health must be placed at the heart of European policymaking. “Mental health is not a luxury. It is a fundamental human right. It is dignity,” Joveva declared.

At the outset, Joveva recalled that the European Commission in the previous term presented the European Strategy for Mental Health, describing it as a step in the right direction — but still insufficiently ambitious.

“Mental health doesn’t begin in hospitals, it begins in societies that provide people with security, stability, and opportunity.”

She therefore called for concrete action, including stronger social safety nets, access to affordable housing, the reduction of poverty and inequality, better protection against burnout, and the integration of mental health into the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Joveva also drew attention to the growing impact of artificial intelligence on mental health, a factor often underestimated by society.

“Our societies are increasingly dependent on algorithms. Artificial intelligence shapes our lives — and our emotions. AI had been among the reasons that led one teenager to take his own life.”

In conclusion, Joveva advocated for clear EU-level rules and safeguards to ensure that the European Union genuinely demonstrates care for mental health — and, by doing so, care for its people.

Photo / EP: Fred Marvaux

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

“A Europe That Cares for Mental Health Cares for Its People”