Investigating breaches of ethics by ministers, members of Parliament and persons of trust, and contributing to the improvement of standards of behaviour in public life
27 Oct 2023
Rules on ethics

OECD presents full set of recommendations on integrity standards in Malta
Standards in Public Life: Malta Forum 2023, an event organised by the Office of the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has published a 224-page report setting out recommendations to improve public integrity in Malta.

The report is the final outcome of a two-year project entitled “Improving the Integrity and Transparency Framework in Malta”, which was being conducted by the OECD at the request of the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life. The project was funded by the European Union through its Technical Support Instrument.

The report, entitled Public Integrity in Malta: Improving the­ Integrity and Transparency Framework for ­Elected and­ Appointed Officials, is available online at https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/governance/public-integrity-in-malta_0ecc469e-en.

The report combines five reports on specific aspects of Malta’s integrity system that were issued by the OECD while the project was under way. The reports deal with:

  • the operations of the office of the Commissioner for Standards;
  • the Standards in Public Life Act;
  • the regulation of lobbying;
  • the codes of ethics for ministers and MPs; and
  • asset and interest declarations by ministers, MPs and persons of trust.

The first three of these reports were launched as standalone documents on 11 July 2022, while the fourth was launched on 27 September 2022. The fifth is a new publication.

The consolidated report also includes an appendix on technical specifications for a system to register lobbyists and lobbying activities.

The consolidated report was launched at an event entitled “Standards in Public Life: Malta Forum 2023”, which was organised by the office of the Commissioner for Standards and held at the Phoenicia Hotel on 27 October 2023.

Speakers at the forum included Chief Justice Emeritus Joseph Azzopardi, Commissioner for Standards; János Bertók, Deputy Director of the OECD’s Public Governance Directorate; Carissa Munro, Policy Analyst with the OECD; and Dr Jonathan Attard, Minister for Justice. The forum was also addressed via video link by Daniele Dotto, Deputy Director at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support; and Kathryn Stone OBE, former Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards in the United Kingdom.

Commissioner for Standards Joseph Azzopardi speaking at the forum
János Bertók of the OECD responding to questions from the floor
Carissa Munro of the OECD presenting an overview of the recommendations
The Hon. Ryan Callus MP addressing the panel during the discussion from the floor
Dr George Hyzler, former Commissioner for Standards, in the audience
Minister Jonathan Attard during his closing address
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