Malta needs better checks and balances to ensure proper rule of law on the island, according to the Council of Europe’s rule of law experts.
A statement issued by the European Commission for Democracy through Law, better known as the Venice Commission, on Friday said that the Office of the Prime Minister was at “the centre of power”, and warned of power imbalances.
Other important actors such as, the President, Parliament, Cabinet, the Judiciary, and the Ombudsman, had too weak an institutional position to provide sufficient checks and balances, the commission warned.
The Venice Commission provides legal advice to member states to help bring their legal and institutional structures into line with European standards.
The Commission is made up of independent experts in the field of constitutional law.
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The Malta opinion follows a request made in October from the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly and another made separately by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici.
The full position document is expected to be published next week, but according to Friday’s statement…
