European Parliament to launch investigative journalism prize named after Daphne Caruana Galizia

The European Parliament is to launch a prize for investigative journalism in memory of murdered Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The Bureau of the European Parliament, which is responsible for matters relating to the body’s internal workings, yesterday approved a proposal to create the prize more than two years after it was first mooted.

The prize will honour European investigative journalists for their work and promote media freedom and freedom of expression.

MEPs Heidi Hautala and David Casa (pictured) said in a statement: “Daphne Caruana Galizia was a first class investigative journalist. She was courageous and fearless. She was assassinated because of her investigative work. She is an inspiration.

“Daphne must never be forgotten. The risks to investigative journalists are great and are on the increase. We must strive to ensure that they are allowed to work free from fear or favour.

“It is our hope that this prize will inspire others to be brave, resilient and uncompromising in their search for truth – just like Daphne.”

Caruana Galizia was assassinated aged 53 by a car bomb near her home in October 2017. She had been investigating money laundering and corruption in Malta at the time.

A public inquiry into her murder began earlier this month and is expected to last nine months.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said he will resign in January after a prominent businessman with alleged links to government ministers was charged in connection with the murder investigation. Muscat’s chief of staff has also been linked to the case, but has denied any involvement.

Three people were arrested soon after the bombing for carrying out the attack, but authorities have only just made arrests relating to the potential mastermind behind it.

The Plenary of the European Parliament first approved a resolution calling for a prize to be set up in Caruana Galizia’s memory less than a month after her death, but the proposal was only approved by the Bureau yesterday.

The European Parliament’s Bureau Working Group on Information and Communication Policy will now define the rules of the prize to be formally approved.

The creation of the prize follows a decision to rename the European Parliament’s press room in Strasbourg after Caruana Galizia.

Picture: European People’s Party group