Updated 1200
Glenn Micallef clears further hurdle for Commission approval
Glenn Micallef impressed the EU’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) during his evaluation as Malta’s nominee for the European Commission. At 35, Micallef is the youngest member of the proposed 27-person College and will focus on increasing youth participation in EU policymaking. In its evaluation letter, CULT praised Micallef’s aptitude for the role, noting his commitment to diversity, fairness, democracy, and inclusion. The letter highlighted his positive approach to engaging with MEPs and his willingness to participate in structured dialogues with the European Parliament. The evaluation was released hours before the Parliament’s vote on the new commission. (Times of Malta)
Women are partly to blame if raped while drunk, a fifth of Maltese say
One in five people in Malta believe a woman is partly to blame for sexual violence if she is drunk or high, while 10% think women are “playing hard to get” when they reject sexual advances, according to a new Eurobarometer survey. Additionally, a third of respondents believe women fabricate or exaggerate rape claims, placing Malta second only to Bulgaria in such attitudes. The survey, which polled 537 individuals, offers insight into perceptions of sexual violence in Malta. It follows an EU report showing that Malta has the highest rate of reported gender-based violence in Europe.
71 cases of attempted suicide reported in first six months
Between January and June 2024, 71 individuals were recorded as having ‘attempted suicide’ on their discharge notes, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela revealed in Parliament, in response to a question from Opposition MP Graziella Attard Previ. Attard Previ also inquired about the number of suicide deaths in 2024, but was directed to the Ministry of Home Affairs for that information. In a separate question by Opposition MP Ivan Bartolo, it was revealed that between May and October 2024, there had been 13 suicide deaths. (Newsbook)
Morning Briefing
Fresh scandal as reports allege Amanda Muscat received €50k in kickbacks
Clayton Bartolo’s wife, Amanda Muscat, allegedly received around €50,000 in payments from a private firm linked to a Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) contractor, which financial investigators suspect were kickbacks for an MTA contract. The Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU), Malta’s anti-money laundering body, flagged the payments as suspicious and reported them to the police. The payments were made over six months in 2023 and tied to work Muscat allegedly carried out for a company associated with Italian cyclist Valerio Agnoli. Agnoli was initially hired by the MTA in 2021 to promote cycling tourism, with the arrangement formalised last year under a €20,000 annual remuneration package. Prime Minister Robert Abela reportedly removed Bartolo as minister and Labour MP after the matter came to light. (Times of Malta)
PN says Bartolo’s resignation is belated and insufficient
Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech described Clayton Bartolo’s resignation as a belated and insufficient move, calling for Clint Camilleri to step down as well. In a Facebook post,
Grech accused the Prime Minister of another policy reversal by pressuring Bartolo to resign. “This is a weak and delayed response, driven solely by public outrage against the fraud enabled by Robert Abela and his government,” he stated. Meanwhile, the Opposition called for another national protest on Monday in front of Parliament. Independent NGOs have also called for police action against former Minister Bartolo in the wake of the revelations.(Maltatoday)
Malta leads EU table in reporting gender-based violence
Malta has the highest rate of reported domestic and gender-based violence in the EU, according to Eurostat data, which also reveals that one in four women has experienced abuse by an intimate partner. The findings come from a survey conducted between 2020 and 2024 by Eurostat, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, and the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). This marks the first publication of key results from the EU-wide gender-based violence survey, covering all 27 Member States. In total, 114,023 women were interviewed across the EU, including just over 3,000 participants from Malta.
