EPP and PN MEP David Casa is calling on the government to embed the EU’s anti-SLAPP legislation more extensively into local law, not simply by transposing the Directive, but also by extending it to domestic cases.
This would mean that procedural protections available in cross-border SLAPP cases would also apply when both the claimant and the defendant are based in Malta.
The EU’s Anti-SLAPP Directive applies to civil and commercial proceedings with cross-border implications and allows Member States to introduce stronger protections under their domestic laws.
Among the safeguards provided by the Directive is a procedure allowing courts to dismiss cases with evidently unfounded claims at an early stage, before defendants are forced to go through lengthy and costly litigation. It also provides mechanisms to protect defendants from abusive proceedings by allowing courts to impose costs, penalties or other appropriate measures against parties who use litigation abusively.
David Casa is arguing that these mechanisms should also apply to cases brought entirely within the Maltese jurisdiction.
In a statement issued by the EPP Group, Casa pointed to Bulgaria, which has chosen to go beyond the minimum requirements of the EU Directive by extending anti-SLAPP safeguards to purely domestic proceedings.
“If Bulgaria can do it, Malta can do it,” Casa said, arguing that Maltese journalists should not receive less protection simply because the person bringing proceedings against them is also based in Malta.
Malta’s current implementation covers the cross-border cases required under EU law, while purely domestic cases remain outside those specific protections. Casa is calling on the government to close this gap as part of its forthcoming media reform.
You can read the press release in full here.
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