Malta’s institutional and legal framework has once again come under scrutiny following the publication of the 2026 rule of law report by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe. The findings suggest that the country’s governance standards are not merely stagnating but are showing signs of measurable decline. This assessment reflects concerns raised by both local and international observers who argue that democratic safeguards in Malta are under sustained pressure....
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NEWS Malta
February 7, 2026
Long service allowance dispute raises public sector inequality
Thousands of public sector workers are expressing anger and frustration after being excluded from a newly introduced long service allowance that will be paid to a limited category of government...
NEWS Malta
February 5, 2026
Malita Investments board reshuffle under Robert Abela
A sweeping reconfiguration of the board of Malita Investments has taken place as the Maltese government continues efforts to reset governance structures within the struggling state-owned entity. The changes follow...
NEWS Malta
February 4, 2026
Robert Abela response to Ta’ Qali grass controversy
Prime Minister Robert Abela’s handling of the controversial landscaping works at the Ta’ Qali National Park has intensified public scrutiny over decision making standards transparency and the use of public...
NEWS Malta
January 26, 2026
Prime minister private jet travel and transparency concerns
Prime Minister Robert Abela’s official travel arrangements continue to attract public scrutiny following repeated instances of private jet usage for state business and the persistent lack of detailed disclosure surrounding...
NEWS Malta
January 22, 2026
Marsa scrapyard eviction order still unenforced after four years
A hazardous scrapyard in Marsa remains operational more than four years after a court ordered its eviction, highlighting persistent challenges in Malta’s regulatory enforcement framework and raising renewed questions about...
NEWS Malta
January 19, 2026
Juanita Agius Galea appointed to Water Services Corporation board
Juanita Agius Galea, the wife of Parliamentary Secretary for Active Ageing Malcolm Agius Galea, has become the latest spouse of a sitting government official to be appointed to a public...
NEWS Malta
January 19, 2026
Anton Refalo boutique hotel L-Eremita planning application
Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo, one of the longest-serving members of Prime Minister Robert Abela’s Cabinet, has submitted a new planning application connected to his family-run boutique hotel in Qala. The...
NEWS Malta
January 16, 2026
Ta’ Qali restoration promises face renewed scrutiny
Prime Minister Robert Abela’s public remarks on the controversial gravel laid across parts of the Ta’ Qali picnic area have come under sustained scrutiny, with senior officials and environmental observers...
NEWS Malta
January 14, 2026
Konrad Mizzi allowed to pay taxes from frozen accounts
A Maltese court has authorised former energy minister Konrad Mizzi to draw on funds held in frozen bank accounts to settle outstanding tax liabilities exceeding €15,000. The decision followed a...
NEWS Malta
January 9, 2026
Unpaid €16.5M planning fines in Malta expose enforcement failures
Unpaid fines linked to illegal development in Malta have climbed to at least €16.5 million, drawing renewed attention to long standing weaknesses in planning enforcement and raising serious questions about...
NEWS Malta
January 3, 2026
PN accuses Roderick Galdes over Vittoriosa building collapse
The Nationalist Party has accused Affordable Housing Minister Roderick Galdes of prolonged inaction following the partial collapse of a condemned building in Vittoriosa, an incident that reignited debate over building...
NEWS Malta
December 19, 2025
Questions grow over Galdes role in Malita Investments
The sudden resignation of Johan Farrugia as chairman of Malita Investments has intensified public scrutiny of the governance and oversight of one of Malta’s most sensitive state linked entities. Malita...
NEWS Malta
December 16, 2025
Public hearing probes PN concerns over ambassador nominee
A tense session of parliament’s Public Appointments Committee placed renewed attention on the standards expected of individuals nominated to represent Malta abroad. The hearing focused on the conduct background and...
NEWS Malta
October 22, 2025
Malta faces scrutiny over rule of law reforms
During a heated debate in the European Parliament today, Malta’s record on the rule of law and the delayed administration of justice in the case of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia...
NEWS Malta
September 6, 2025
Clayton Bartolo seeks Labour return amid allegations
Former Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, who was removed from the cabinet and the Labour parliamentary group in November at the initiative of Prime Minister Robert Abela, continues to signal his...
NEWS Malta
August 8, 2025
Darren Carabott reacts to Francine Farrugia fraud charges
The political landscape within Malta’s opposition has been shaken following serious criminal charges brought against former Nationalist Party (PN) local councillor Francine Farrugia. Opposition Member of Parliament Darren Carabott has...
NEWS Malta
June 18, 2025
Abela changes stance on Manoel Island deal
On 4 June, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that Labour MP Edward Zammit Lewis and Labour Party President Alex Sciberras had been appointed to review the Manoel Island concession agreement...
NEWS Malta
May 26, 2025
Former Muscat allies try to rewrite their political past
In a discreet corner of a restaurant in Malta, two high-profile individuals—Brian Tonna and Marvin Gaerty—were overheard having a conversation that many found both revealing and opportunistic. Tonna, the disgraced...
NEWS Malta
May 12, 2025
Silvio Schembri accused of misleading Standards Commissioner
Malta’s Standards Commissioner, Joseph Azzopardi, has raised serious concerns over Minister Silvio Schembri’s conduct during an ethics probe, suggesting that the Minister lied about deploying public employees to staff his...
NEWS Malta
May 8, 2025
Alex Borg refuses to apologies over Fort Chambray claims
Alex Borg, a Nationalist Party Member of Parliament and a rising political figure in Malta, has carefully cultivated a reputation as Gozo’s unapologetic defender—a brash, populist firebrand unafraid to challenge...
NEWS Malta
April 26, 2025
Robert Abela shifts stance on Cabinet asset disclosures
Prime Minister Robert Abela has once again altered his position regarding the publication of Cabinet members' asset declarations for 2023, now asserting that the documents are confidential and exempt from...
NEWS Malta
March 24, 2025
FOI Commissioner Orders Malta OPM to Release Data
The Information and Data Protection Commissioner has issued an enforcement notice against the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) for failing to release the 2023 asset declarations of Malta’s cabinet...
NEWS Malta
March 15, 2025
Government Silent on Illegal Ta’ Xbiex Marina Case
The Maltese government has yet to provide a clear response regarding the fate of the capitainerie at the Ta’ Xbiex Gardens Marina, which was recently declared illegal by the Court...
NEWS Malta
March 1, 2025
Robert Abela Blocks Public Access to His Assets
Prime Minister Robert Abela has once again obstructed The Shift’s request for access to the ministerial declarations of assets for 2023. Despite publicly stating in Parliament on 20 January that...
NEWS Malta
February 28, 2025
Electrogas Corruption Case Moves to Trial in Malta
A Maltese court has ruled that former Chief of Staff at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), Keith Schembri, former Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi, and businessman Yorgen Fenech, among...
NEWS Malta
February 13, 2025
Malta Legal Experts Oppose Bill 125 on Judicial Reform
The proposed amendments to Malta’s judicial system, introduced through Bill 125, have sparked widespread condemnation from legal experts, former judges, and civil society organizations. Critics argue that these rushed reforms...