https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/1125 Sat, 18 Apr 2026 23:02:35 GMT 2026-04-18T23:02:35Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145717 Title: Feedback and analysis : House of Representatives (Malta) – 14th Legislature, Bill No. 169 – Advanced Medical Directives Act, 2026 [Government Gazette of Malta No. 21,603 – 13/03/2026] Abstract: A Bill entitled “Advanced Medical Directives Act, 2026” was tabled in Malta’s House of Representatives in March 2026. The report furnishes a brief analysis of the latter Bill, highlighting problems that may hamper the Bill were it adopted and listing recommendations so as to address those problems. This report was submitted, first to the Parliamentary Secretariat for Equality and Reforms on the 12th April 2026 and then to the Consideration of the Bills Committee on the 15th April 2026. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145717 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145441 Title: The right versus the duty to remain silent Abstract: We have seen lately that the 2020 amendments made to the Constitution of Malta to appoint the Chief Justice by at least a two-thirds majority vote of the House of the Representatives has failed miserably due to the intransigence of the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Instead, both sides of the House are now advocating an anti-deadlock mechanism. This mechanism, when agreed to and whatever its provision, celebrates the defeat of the two parliamentary political parties strained effort to arrive at a conjoint decision in the public interest. Political immaturity indicates that these two leaders lack statesmanship as they cannot rise above partisan politics. Hence, they both agree on recourse to an anti-deadlock mechanism though the devil lies in the detail and surely not even on this mechanism it is guaranteed that will be agreement thereupon. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145441 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145195 Title: The Constitutional Court strikes again Abstract: Though there are in deed similarities. The former is a thief – essentially he steals jewels. In the case of the Constitutional Court, the latter self-steals, it steals its own judicial independence, offering it on a golden plate to the other two organs of the state when it voluntarily gives up its own independence to appease, First, a law enacted by the Nationalist government and, second, a Labour government measure implementing that same law. [extract] Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/145195 2026-03-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144943 Title: Bill no 165 : another botched family law reform? Abstract: The Bill consists of a meagre 12 provisions, out of which clause 1 is the short title and commencement provision, and clause 2 simply states that for the purposes of Part I of that Bill “Code” means “Criminal Code”. The ‘reform’ is contained in less than four and a half pages of text. Clause 3 introduces a new contravention in the Criminal Code: “when ordered by a court or so bound by a contract to have access to a child, fails to exercise such access or, unless such failure constitutes a more serious offence, fails to return the child at the time so ordered or agreed, without just cause”. I agree that the failure to provide access to a child by one spouse or partner to the other needs to be addressed by law as that is a social phenomenon causing pain and suffering. [extract]. Sun, 01 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/144943 2026-03-01T00:00:00Z