EU Parliament: establishment of “Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize” for information. Duch, “free journalism for a strong democracy”

As of October 2021, the European Parliament will start awarding “The Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism”. The European Parliament’s Bureau approved the rules for the new prize a few days before the third anniversary of the Maltese journalist’s murder (16 October 2017). In announcing its establishment, President David Sassoli explained that the Prize “will be organised with no political intervention” to “ensure its independence and freedom of the press”. The winners will be selected by an “independent jury” that will identify “outstanding works of journalism centred on the EU’s principles and values”. According to the spokesperson for the European Parliament, Jaume Duch, “free, independent and quality journalism are key for a strong European democracy and a cherished European value”. Maltese MEP David Casa was instrumental in promoting and establishing the award: “Daphne Caruana Galizia’s legacy will remain alive, as she will now be remembered every year”, he said about the achievement. “The European Parliament is the only political institution to honour Daphne Carunana Galizia for her investigative work”, the European People’s Party said in a statement, recalling that a few days after her assassination in 2017, the European Parliament named the media room in Strasbourg, where daily press conferences are held during the Strasbourg Plenary Session, after the Maltese journalist.
Valentina Bombelli