The time has come for a quantum leap in democracy by giving Parliament the autonomy it deserved, Speaker Anglu Farrugia said this evening.

Speaking at Hastings Gardens during the traditional ceremony commemorating the 1919 Sette Giugno bread riots, Dr Farrugia referred to calls by his predecessors for Parliament to become autonomous.

Malta, he said, could not remain the only EU state where parliament had no degree of autonomy. “The time has come for a quantum leap turning all pledges made so far into action,” he said.

Dr Farrugia recalled that a year ago he had insisted on the need for Parliament to have the authority to draft its own budget and administer its own resources. A number of steps had already been taken in this direction, he said, including the first reading of a bill intended to safeguard standards in public life, a report on this matter compiled by a commission he appointed and a bill for the creation of a parliamentary service.

The Speaker said that even the new Parliament building which is set to be functional after summer, would serve to strengthen the independence of this institution. The migration to the new building would herald the start of live video streaming of plenary sittings and Parliament would also have its own television channel.

Dr Farrugia urged the government to implement its electoral pledge to have the Malta EU Steering Action Committee under Parliament’s jurisdiction. He argued this would make it easier for Parliament to get feedback from civil society on EU regulations and directives in the pipeline.

He also called reiterated calls for an urgent review of Parliament’s Standing Orders to make this institution more efficient.