National Commission for Human Rights and Equality Bill fails to pass through Parliament after Government stubbornly refuses to listen

Bill fails to secure the required two-thirds majority – instead of heeding the appeals of the Opposition and 26 civil society organisations, the Government pressed ahead with the vote

The Government today stubbornly pressed ahead despite appeals from the Opposition and 26 civil society organisations, rushing the Bill establishing the National Commission for Human Rights and Equality to a vote in Parliament without proper consultation.

The Bill required the support of two-thirds of the House to be approved. After the Opposition walked out of the House of Representatives when the vote was called, the Bill failed to pass.

As already stated earlier this week, the Nationalist Opposition has reservations about the Bill. Since insufficient time was provided for proper consultation and adequate parliamentary scrutiny, the Opposition had declared that it was reserving its position and vote on every article of the Human Rights and Equality Bill during the Committee Stage.

Instead of acknowledging these concerns and agreeing to the necessary consultation so that the Bill could be revised, the Labour Government pressed ahead and brought the legislation to a final vote this evening. The Opposition walked out of the House, and the Bill consequently failed to pass.

The same position was taken in recent hours by a significant number of NGOs and civil society organisations, which agreed with the Opposition and also called for more time for consultation and serious scrutiny.

Those who spoke out against the Government’s handling of the legislation included representatives of employers, insurance companies, women’s organisations and Church schools, all of which criticised the Labour Government for proceeding with the law without consulting them.

The Malta Insurance Association expressed concern about changes that would have a significant impact on insurance companies and policyholders.

The Chamber of Pharmacists said that the proposed legislation undermines existing rights that pharmacists have enjoyed for many years.

The Malta Women’s Lobby criticised the proposed dissolution of the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality and the transfer of its functions to an institution with a much broader human rights remit.

The Church Schools Association and the Secretariat for Catholic Education stated that, while equality and respect for the dignity of every person must be upheld, the constitutional rights and freedoms of all sectors of society must also be protected. This includes educational institutions seeking to promote their distinctive religious ethos. They were also joined by Doctors for Life and the Life Network Foundation Malta, which appealed to the Government to postpone the vote to allow for broad consultation.

Malta Employers accused the Government of attempting to rush the legislation through Parliament before the summer recess without carrying out the consultation that should have taken place with the social partners represented on the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD). The Association appealed to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to agree to postpone the debate and final vote on the legislation.

UĦM Voice of the Workers also called for a proper public consultation process, stating that the law would have implications for workers, employers, trade unions, public institutions and society in general. It therefore stressed the need for broad consensus and a serious analysis of what was being proposed – something that could not take place because of the short period between the publication of the Bill and the date on which it was brought to a vote.

The Malta Chamber also wrote to Minister Rosianne Cutajar, calling for the final debate and vote on the Bill to be postponed.

A number of other NGOs, ironically all working in the field of human rights, also spoke out and expressed disappointment that the Minister for Equality had completely ignored the proposals they had submitted. They also complained that they had not been given a proper opportunity to examine the legislation and comment on it. These NGOs include the aditus foundation, African Media Association Malta, Checkpoint Malta, Dance Beyond Borders, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, the Foundation for the Ukrainian Community of Malta, Humanists Malta, JRS Malta, MGRM, the Migrants Commission, Migrant Women Association Malta, Moviment Graffitti, Repubblika, the Richmond Foundation, SOS Malta and SPARK 15.

22.07.2026