Watch: 'If there are grounds for sanctions against Malta, we will not hesitate'

The European Commission sees no reason to introduce rule of law sanctions against Malta but is keeping a close eye on the country, a top Brussels policy maker said on Tuesday.  "At this stage there are no grounds for sanctions but we keep looking into the issue and if at some stage there will be grounds for sanctions, we will not hesitate to propose those sanctions," EU Commission first vice-president Frans Timmermans said.  Mr Timmermans was answering a question by a France 2 reporter, who highlighted rule of law concerns surrounding Malta's cash-for-passports scheme and noted that Daphne Caruana Galizia had faced legal threats for writing about the scheme.   "We will certainly make a full assessment of the situation and act when that is necessary - and this is well known by Maltese authorities and by the European Parliament, that supports the Commission's position on this."  READ: What fact-finding MEPs said about the rule of law in Malta In the months since Ms Caruana Galizia was killed, Mr Timmermans has openly urged the Maltese government to "leave no stone unturned" in their hunt for the murder masterminds while also telling MEPs to "let the [murder] investigation run its...