During the EP plenary session (13-16 November 2017) in Strasbourg, a ceremony in the presence of Antonio TAJANI, EP President, and Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family is held to officially name the European Parliament’s press conference room in Strasbourg in her honour. Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese journalist noted for her work on corruption has beeen murdered in October 2017. Statements by Antonio TAJANI, EP President, Christophe DELOIRE, Director of Reportors sans frontieres, and Peter CARUANA GALIZIA, Daphne's husband.

TAJANI, Antonio (EPP, IT)

Strasbourg

ceremony

freedom of press and media (T)

EU - Malta (T)

Inauguration of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Press room: extracts from the ceremony

Arrival of EP President Antonio TAJANI and Peter CARUANA GALIZIA, walk into the newly named Press room of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, (1 shot), the 3 sons are walking behind them, by their sides Christophe DELOIRE, Director of Reporters sans fronti&egrave;res

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Antonio TAJANI, EP President, For me as a citizens, as a journalist and as President of this Parliament, it is an honour to be able to inaugurate this ceremony and to take the floor on behave of the other 750 members of Parliament, who are all fighting to try to find out the truth. (About the murder of Daphne)

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Antonio TAJANI, Every time there is a press conference held in this room the people who speak and the people who listen will remember that this room means that we will not lower our guard for what was happening in Malta, we will continue to ask for an international investigation to be carried out because we don&rsquo;t know where the borders of this tragedy are.

SOUNDBITE (French), Christophe DELOIRE, Director of Reportors sans frontieres, This global reaction I think is an echo of Daphne&rsquo;s courage, it is going to leave a scar as a French writer said, this scar I think it is something that journalists and citizens keep as an importance to defending the freedom of the press.

SOUNDBITE (English), Peter CARUANA GALIZIA, Daphne&apos;s husband , Daphne&rsquo;s investigative work told her more than anybody get to know about Malta&rsquo;s underworld and its links to politics, about how laws are bend to favour the powerful and public goods are diverted to private interests, but Daphne never grew cynical, she grew angrier, more outraged by the increasing and freighting facts that emerged from her work.

SOUNDBITE (English), Peter CARUANA GALIZIA, When Daphne&rsquo;s assets were frozen by the current Finance Minister, in an attempt to silence her for once and for all, the funds she needed to continue writing were raised by the Maltese public in under 24 hours. Still my wife died without access to her bank account. The threats Daphne faced only escalated, the 47 legal cases pending against her, including 5 criminal defamation cases, my sons and I continue to fight 36 of these cases.

SOUNDBITE (English), Peter CARUANA GALIZIA , Today I&rsquo;m reminded that no matter what happened to Daphne, no matter how hard certain forces will work to suppress or distort her work even in death, she lives on, Daphne lives on in my 3 sons, who have so much of her strength and integrity, and she lives on in the people who chose to protect her legacy.

Applause, standing ovation, (4 shots), family in front of the Press room sign, (1 shot)