The Government of Malta thanks the Venice Commission and takes note of the final opinion finalized on the ten acts and bills that were the subject of the opinion of the same commission in June 2020.
This opinion acknowledges and generally comments favorably on six out of ten legislative reforms that today took place in Parliament’s acts amending our Constitution and requiring a two-thirds vote but were unanimously agreed with the Opposition.
The Venice Commission comments on the speed of this legislative process with the government noting that discussions on these constitutional and institutional reforms have been ongoing since at least 2010, when studies were presented and discussions took place on these reforms in the Forum of the President of Malta. The government also says it is positive that the Venice Commission is acknowledging this work done by the administration led by Prime Minister Robert Abela on reforms that have been on paper and a topic of discussion for many years – reforms which have now been implemented following unanimous agreement in the country’s highest institution.
Key among them are the prerogatives that every Maltese Prime Minister has always held in his hands, including the appointment of the Chief Justice and the judges and the selection of the Commissioner of Police. The government reiterates that work on other reforms agreed with the Venice Commission will continue in Parliament in the coming days and will be complemented by other initiatives that will further strengthen the rule of law and the rule of law good governance in our country. The government is also taking note of the observations made by the Venice Commission on four other reforms which are the subject of discussion in the Maltese Parliament and recalls the preparatory work being carried out by the President of the Republic for the establishment of the Constitutional Convention.
