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November 07 2024 08:56:55 by PCLMedia
 
Malta recently ranked 30th in the 2024 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, out of 142 countries, marking a minor decrease of 0.01% from its previous year's overall score. Malta's performance in the "Order and Security" category stood out, where it ranked tenth globally and seventh regionally within Europe. This category assesses elements such as crime control, civil conflict limitation, and the avoidance of violence for personal grievances, with Malta scoring particularly high in civil conflict control (1.00) and a strong score of 0.88 in limiting violence among citizens. However, it ranked slightly below the European average in crime control, receiving a score of 0.86.

The Rule of Law Index evaluates countries based on eight factors: constraints on government power, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice. Malta saw mixed results across these areas. In the absence of corruption category, Malta scored 0.64, placing 40th globally, despite a dip of nine ranks. This score is above the global average of 0.51 but lower than the European regional average of 0.73. In the subcategory assessing whether government officials avoid using public office for personal gain, Malta scored a low 0.36, considerably below the regional average.

In constraints on government power, Malta ranked 39th with a score of 0.63, slightly declining by 0.01. This score is above the global average of 0.54, though it falls short of the European regional average of 0.73. For fundamental rights, Malta scored 0.74, close to the European average of 0.77 and significantly higher than the global average of 0.56.

The open government category showed Malta performing relatively well, ranking 32nd with a score of 0.63. While higher than the global average of 0.52, this was below the European average of 0.72. Malta’s regulatory enforcement score was 0.59, again above the global average (0.54) but lower than the European average (0.72), placing it 43rd. In civil justice, Malta scored 0.60, which surpasses the global average of 0.54 but remains below the regional average of 0.69, placing it 48th.

For criminal justice, Malta ranked 28th, with a score of 0.63, closer to the European average of 0.67, showing strengths in addressing issues within its justice system relative to other countries. Despite minor setbacks in corruption and regulatory enforcement, Malta's overall performance in "Order and Security" was lauded as a reflection of extensive investments in the police force and community security. Minister Byron Camilleri highlighted the government's ongoing efforts to strengthen law enforcement through resource allocation, improved working conditions, and the largest financial budget allocation in the sector’s history, as outlined in the national budget.

This year’s WJP Index underscores a trend of declining rule of law worldwide, with even Malta experiencing slight decreases. Top-ranking countries globally included Denmark (0.9), Norway (0.89), and Finland (0.87), while Venezuela ranked lowest at 0.26.
 

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