Malta has joined other EU states in approving a new proposed directive aimed at improving the EU’s legal tools to combat terrorism.
Speaking during a Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting of EU Justice Ministers today, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici stated that Malta considered the fight against terrorism a priority and that, as such, it fully supported the rationale behind the new directive.
In the past months, a number of legislative changes were introduced locally to implement the directives of the most recent United Nations resolutions on the matter.
The approval of a Council position meant that the proposed directive would be negotiated with the European Parliament before becoming EU law. The proposal aims to strengthen the EU’s legal framework in preventing terrorist attacks by criminalising preparatory acts such as training, travelling abroad for terrorist purposes, as well as aiding and abetting, inciting or attempting such acts.