With the obvious intent to dampen the ardour expressed by the vast majority of the elected European parliamentarians, Frans Timmermans, vice president of the European Commission, urged MEPs “not to jump to conclusions” in regard to the brutal assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Quite conveniently, he sidestepped the real reason for the debate ‒ the breakdown of the rule of law in Malta. Perhaps Timmermans felt uncomfortable to comment in this regard. It appears to be a rather delicate matter for the Commission because nobody wants to rock the boat. They all seem to be very cosy in Brussels.

In Malta, however, the situation is very different. The Commission should take heed of Daphne’s very last words: “There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate.”