The Implementation and Enforcement of European Union Law in Small Member States: A Case Study of Malta

Preface
Contents
Notes on Contributors
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Introduction—The Maltese Legal System and the EU
Chapter 2: EU Law and Maltese Law—An Integration or Legal Irritants
	1 Introduction
	2 The EU Legal Order and its Implications for Maltese Constitutional Law
		2.1 The EU and National Legal Order
		2.2 The Constitution of Malta
		2.3 The European Union Act
	3 The Application of EU Law and the Doctrine of the Direct Effect of EU Law in Maltese Courts
		3.1 References for Preliminary Ruling
		3.2 Enforcement Actions Against Malta
	4 The Influence of EU Law on Substantive Maltese Private Law
	5 Conclusion
Chapter 3: EU Law in the Republic of Malta: The Judicial Protection Point of View
	1 Introduction
	2 Enforcement Mechanisms
		2.1 Infringement Procedure: Article 258 TFEU
		2.2 Infringement Procedure: Article 259 TFEU
		2.3 Sanction Procedure: Article 260 TFEU
	3 Why Comply?
	4 Assessment of Malta’s Compliance Record
		4.1 Case-Study 1: Spring Hunting—Between a Rock and a Hard Place
		4.2 Case-Study 2: Trapping of Birds—A Foreseeable Outcome
		4.3 Pending Infringement Actions
	5 A Quest for Preliminary References in Malta
	6 Conclusion
Chapter 4: The Transposition and Implementation of European Union Directives: A Case-Study of the Maltese Legal Order
	1 Introduction
	2 Directives as Binding Instruments of Legislative Action to Achieve Harmonisation
	3 The Implementation of Directives in Malta
		3.1 The Political Process
		3.2 The Legislative Process
	4 Conclusion
Chapter 5: Legal Translations: The Translation of EU Law into the Maltese Language—Quo Vadis?
	1 Introduction
	2 The Importance of EU Legal Translation
	3 Maltese as an Official Language of the EU
		3.1 The Use of the Maltese Language in Maltese Law: Historical Background
		3.2 The Maltese Language in the EU Institutions
		3.3 The Evolution of the Maltese Language as a Result of Malta’s Accession to the EU
	4 The Maltese Language and the European Court of Justice of the EU
	5 Conclusion
Chapter 6: The Transposition of the EU Consumer Protection Directives in Maltese Law: A Study Under Twenty Headings
	1 Introduction and Scope
	2 Setting the Scene
	3 Unpreparedness
	4 An Easy Chapter
	5 Trade Lobbies Try to Delay Transpositions
	6 The Opposition in Parliament
	7 Some Bright Spots
	8 The EU Consumer Law Task Force
	9 The Effect on the Codes
	10 Consumer Credit
	11 Timeshare
	12 Product Safety
	13 Unintended Consequences
	14 Early Casualties
	15 The Strange Tale Concerning Metrology
	16 Price Controls Prove Resilient
	17 The Transposition of the Consumer Rights Directive of 2011/83/EU
	18 The Transposition of the Revised Package Travel Directive of 2015
	19 Public Statutory Administrative Authorities
	20 Final Note: Post-accession
Chapter 7: EU Company Law & Malta
	1 Introduction
	2 The First Company Law Directive
	3 The Second Company Law Directive
	4 The European Company Regulation and Accompanying Directive
	5 The Takeover Bids Directive: 13th Company law Directive
	6 Conclusion
Chapter 8: The Implementation of the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive in Malta
	1 Introduction
	2 AIFMD Legislative Process
		2.1 AIFMD Level I: The Depositary Passport
		2.2 AIFMD Level II: Requirements on Letter Box Entities
	3 The Transposition Process
		3.1 Changes to Malta’s Legislative Framework
		3.2 Fields of Regulation: Particular to Malta
			3.2.1	 De minimis Fund Managers
			3.2.2	 Transitional Depositary Passport
			3.2.3	 MFSA Rulebooks Applicable to AIFs
			3.2.4	 Implementation of the Requirements on Remuneration
	4 Conclusion
Chapter 9: Long Term Residency Rules in Malta: An Undefeatable Obstacle Course for Third-Country Nationals?
	1 Introduction
	2 The Initial Step: Obtaining a Single Permit
	3 After Five Years: Applying for Long-Term Residence
	4 Seeking to Address the Situation
	5 Final Observations
Chapter 10: Industrial and Intellectual Property Rights and Malta’s EU Accession
	1 Introduction: Pre-accession
	2 Negotiating Malta’s IP Laws
	3 The Effect of Accession on IP Laws
	4 Copyright
	5 Trademarks
	6 Patents and Design Rights
		6.1 Designs
		6.2 Patents
	7 Exhaustion of Rights
	8 Enforcement
	9 Copyright in the Digital Single Market
	10 Conclusion
Chapter 11: The Implementation of EU Criminal Law in the Maltese Legal Order
	1 Introduction
	2 Substantive Amendments to Criminal Law Within the Realm of Financial Crime
	3 Institutional Reform
	4 Procedural Law Amendments
		4.1 European Arrest Warrants
			4.1.1	 Lack of Proportionality: No Stay of Execution Even If the Accused Is Willing to Cooperate
			4.1.2	 General Comments: Proportionality
		4.2 Attachment and Freezing Orders
			4.2.1	 Lack of Proportionality: No Mechanism to Challenge Freezing Orders
			4.2.2	 Quantum Subject to the Freezing Order
		4.3 Confiscation Orders
			4.3.1	 Difficulties in Executing Confiscation Orders
		4.4 Joint Investigative Teams
	5 Conclusion
Chapter 12: The Implementation of European Privacy Law in Malta
	1 Introduction: Historical Background
	2 The New Data Protection Act 2018
	3 Fundamental Human Rights to Privacy and Data Protection in Malta
		3.1 Proposed Amendments to Article 41 of the Constitution of Malta
	4 The Reception of Substantive GDPR Provisions in the National Legal Order
		4.1 The Principles of ‘Fair’ Processing, Purpose Limitation and ‘Data Minimisation’
		4.2 Personal Data as ‘Counter-Performance’ for the Provision of Digital Content
		4.3 The Right Not to be Subject to Automated Decision-Making, Including Profiling
		4.4 The Right to Erasure
		4.5 Reconciling the Right to Data Protection with Freedom of Expression and Information
		4.6 Restrictions
		4.7 Processing for Archiving Purposes in the Public Interest, Scientific or Historical Research Purposes or Statistical Purposes
		4.8 Processing of the National Identification Number
		4.9 Transborder Data Transfers
		4.10 The Information and Data Protection Commissioner
	5 Domestic Enforcement of Data Protection Law
		5.1 The Office of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner
		5.2 Complaint Handling by the IDPC
		5.3 Sanctioning Data Protection Infringements
		5.4 Damages for Intangible Harm and Their Quantification
			5.4.1	 Civil Damages
			5.4.2	 Other Specific Branches of Maltese Law
				Intellectual Property Law
				Data Protection Law
		5.5 Representative Actions Pursuant to Article 80 GDPR
		5.6 Other Involved National Regulatory Authorities
	6 Data Processing for National Security Purposes
	7 Examples
		7.1 Surveillance and Interception of Telecommunications
		7.2 Police Surveillance During 2019 Protests
		7.3 Police Access to Speed Cameras Operated by the Transport Authority
		7.4 The Proposal by the Government of Malta to Deploy Smart CCTV Surveillance Cameras in Public Spaces
		7.5 Data Processing for Research Purposes Under the Auspices of the University of Malta
		7.6 Blockchain Applications
		7.7 Digital Contact-Tracing
	8 Conclusion
Conclusion