European Parliament Adopts Historic Anti-Corruption Law Negotiated by David Casa

“The European Parliament today voted overwhelmingly to turn into law the most ambitious anti-corruption directive at EU level,” the Head of the Maltese EPP Delegation David Casa announced. Casa served as the lead negotiator on behalf of the EPP Group, successfully concluding several months of difficult negotiations to secure the directive's passage.

The new legislative framework introduces stringent, unified standards across all EU Member States. It establishes rules on statutes of limitations and penalties, introduces a comprehensive prevention package, and provides a legal basis for the European Commission to evaluate how effectively individual Member States combat corruption.

“For the first time, we have given the Commission an objective toolkit to assess how Member States fight corruption,” Casa explained. “This is a fundamental rule of law concern, and I expect the Commission to treat it as such.”

The directive passed despite significant resistance from the Council of the European Union, which represents member state governments.

“This directive is the result of difficult negotiations against a recalcitrant Council. But we did not give in,” Casa stated in a plenary speech. “This vote sends a clear and powerful message that corruption is not the norm, and that we will not accept corrupt politicians covering for one another.”

The legislation will have implications for national legal frameworks, including in Malta, where the government is now legally obligated to update its criminal statutes to codify offences related to the abuse of power.

Casa highlighted the directive's specific relevance to the Maltese context, noting that it legally mandates reforms that were previously ignored.

“The public inquiry following the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia called on the Government to introduce laws against the abuse of power. Like many other elements in that inquiry, the call fell on deaf ears,” Casa noted. “But now, because of this directive, the Government will have to act. We will see a strengthening of our criminal statutes.”

In his speech, Casa appealed for a strong vote, declaring that “the price of corruption is paid by citizens who fall victim to those who enter politics to abuse power, enrich themselves, and act as though they are above the law. This vote is for the journalists and courageous citizens who expose abuses—people who work despite personal risks. People like Daphne Caruana Galizia.

“We here have a collective duty to be their shield.”

With the directive now approved by the European Parliament, the timeline for implementation will be set to begin following its signing into law.

“Our focus will now shift to enforcement, ensuring that all EU Member States transpose the directive correctly into national law to guarantee it functions effectively in practice,” Casa stated. He called on national politicians, particularly in Malta, to “go beyond the absolute minimum” during the transposition phase to actively rebuild public trust in political institutions.