https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/11425 2026-10-27T01:12:45Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150410 Title: Understanding Malta’s Constitution Authors: Musumeci, Robert Abstract: “Understanding Malta’s Constitution discusses a myriad of subjects that are directly and indirectly connected to the Constitution. It starts off by tracing the origin of our Constitution prior to independence and post-independence. It refers to Malta’s national symbols set out in the very first chapter of the Constitution, constitutional principles, the main organs of the state established by the Constitution – parliament, government, and the judiciary, and other public offices of interest to the constitutionalist, the role of the individual within the context of the Constitution and the European Convention Act that both contain provisions that regulate the safeguarding of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and concludes with a discussion of a very innovative subject on the Constitution as a discipline of power. I recommend this book to all those persons who want a ready reckoner to the Constitution of Malta and, at the moment, do not have sufficient time to delve deeper by reading elaborate treatises on the subject. This book serves as a teaser that opens the reader’s appetite to read further other more detailed publications on Constitutional Law. Its praiseworthiness lies in its capability to succinctly explain the Constitution of Malta in layman’s terms without excessive recourse to legalese and pedantry.” Professor Kevin Aquilina Professor of Law and former Dean of the Faculty of Laws University of Malta 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150409 Title: Stress points in Maltese planning law Authors: Musumeci, Robert Abstract: “This is a rigorous contribution to Maltese public law scholarship. Rather than offering a commentary on the Development Planning Act (Cap. 552), Robert Musumeci undertakes a far more ambitious doctrinal audit of the internal architecture of the statute, identifying the precise points at which the coherence of the system is placed under strain. What sets this book apart is its methodological discipline. Each argument is firmly rooted in the statutory text, which illuminates how the jurisprudence of the Environment and Planning Review Tribunal and superior courts have sometimes departed from or blurred the true structure and intention of the statute. The treatment of lapsed Bills 143 and 144 is a useful line of enquiry, using unenacted legislative proposals as tools to expose existing stress points in the current system. Finally, the comparisons with the English and Welsh regime add depth without distracting from the primary focus of the Maltese system. Notably, one of the points of comparison (the mechanism by which unauthorised works achieve immunity) was once the same in England and Wales as Article 95 Development Planning Act, in that immunity was fixed to a point in time, rather than a rolling immunity period. The rolling immunity period was not introduced as a concept in the English and Welsh system until the Planning and Compensation Act 1991.” Dr Ashley Bowes KC, Landmark Chambers, general editor, Journal of Planning & Environment Law and author of A Practical Approach to Planning Law 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150242 Title: Public law in action : challenging power and defending the citizen [Law Academy event address] Abstract: Address by Prof. Tonio Borg at the Law Academy Event, Chamber of Advocates, Valletta, Malta, entitled Public Law in Action Challenging power and defending the Citizen. 2026-10-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149989 Title: Judicial review of administrative action in Malta (2nd ed.) Authors: Borg, Tonio Abstract: This updated edition includes the principal legal developments that have taken place over the past seven years. One of the most significant developments concerns a new interpretation of the requirement of locus standi in judicial review proceedings, opening the door for non-governmental organisations to challenge the validity of decisions taken by the public administration. The book also examines the jurisprudence of the Maltese courts concerning the grounds of judicial review set out in Article 469A of Chapter 12 of the Laws of Malta, as well as the introduction of the new Article 469B. The latter, for the first time, allows an injured party to challenge a decision of the Attorney General, both in relation to a nolle prosequi and to the provision of copies of the process-verbal and the report following a magisterial inquiry to an interested party. This second edition provides scholars, legal practitioners and students with a comprehensive compendium of more than one thousand judgments on judicial review in administrative law spanning more than 130 years. It constitutes a valuable reference work for anyone seeking redress against the public administration, as well as for those wishing to deepen their knowledge and understanding of this important area of public law. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z