Instead of resigning or suspending himself to devote all his energies to clear his name, Economy Minister Chris Cardona has chosen the villainous path of a bully in regard to a journalist who alleged that he was in a brothel in Germany while attending to official business. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has given his full support to Cardona and, presumably, agrees with the unprecedented harsh action taken by the minister in seeking to freeze the journalist’s assets.

This is a direct assault on freedom of expression and, worse still, it is a bare threat to democracy, which is hardly the image we wish to project during our six-month presidency of the European Council.

The Institute of Maltese Journalists should seek the support of the European Institute of Journalists to put pressure on him and on the Prime Minister to withdraw the action forthwith. Unless the European Parliament and, indeed, the European Commission confront the Prime Minister with a view to safeguard democracy in Malta, the EU will continue to lose credibility among the people and give more gunpowder to those who aim to destroy the EU.

The era of silence and the I-scratch-your-back-and-you-scratch-mine attitude by the EU authorities should be disowned forthwith if belief in the European project is to survive and flourish in future.