The fifth anniversary since Malta joined the European Union has come and gone without much of a fuss. Today the European question is no longer an issue to the Maltese people. That, in my view, is a strong sign of the political maturity of the Maltese people.
A decision needed to be taken. Different points of view where exposed, debated, and analysed, and in the end the people made their choice. That choice has been recognised and accepted by one and all, and we have moved on.
Admittedly, every so often, one does tend to hear some out of sync voices emerging from within the Nationalist camp. Oftentimes, these voices are coming from people who seem to wish that time stood still and that we are still back in 2003. These, to my mind at least, seem to be people who are unable to comprehend that in a democracy any decision, however important, is a reflection of the mood of the moment and that once taken, whether one was for or against it, that decision becomes a part of history, something best left for the historians and the academics to analyse and comment upon.
I still find it shocking to note that the same people who find it so easy to criticise Dom Mintoff and the post-1979 Labour Government for being unable to truly come to terms with the paradigmatic shift our country went through the moment Freedom, through the closure of the foreign military bases, was achieved, alas commit the same mistake when it comes to the European issue. Indeed there are Nationalist sympathisers who seem to think that just because at the time the Labour Party proposed different options to EU membership then, in their view the Labour Party should not even contemplate to participate in the European process by, for instance, fielding candidates for the European parliamentary elections.
It really is a pity that such people choose to get stuck in a time warp. Thankfully though, the Maltese people in general have moved on and recognise that today the issue is no longer one of whether Malta should become a member or not, but one that concerns the true aspirations of the people. In other words, the people of Malta and Gozo today do not want politicians to waste time preaching about the virtues or defects of the European Union, but rather they want them to focus their energies on making a success of this venture. It is actions not words that are of interest to the Maltese people.
Five years on, it is safe to say that Malta has only started nibbling at the true meaning of this new reality, and that there is still a long way to go before we can truly say that as a people we are maximising our potential within Europe.
In all honesty, five years on, one can safely say that there have been some positive aspects associated with Malta having joined the European Union. By and large, for instance, Malta has adjusted well to the adoption of the Euro. Similarly, it is positive to note that many Maltese are recognising the fact that now they are afforded greater protection against possible abuse by their government, with Malta having for the second year running registered the highest per capita share of complaints forwarded to the European Ombudsman.
At the same time however, it is worth noting that much still needs to be done. Five years on, it seems that unlike the other new members Malta is still struggling to get to terms with the obligations it has assumed through membership. A long list of European laws and regulations have been transposed into Maltese law, but there still seems to be a big problem with enforcement. Worse still, there are instances when rights and obligations arising through European legislation have been ignored or shelved by the local authorities thus requiring affected citizens or corporations to take the long winded road of seeking redress in a court of law, which as we all know is not renowned for its alacrity. The recent case concerning the imposition of VAT on excise duty levied on cars in Malta is but one case in point.
Come next June, the Maltese people will once again be called upon to cast their vote to elect their representatives in the European Parliament. This time round these elections will not have that sense of novelty which attracted a large number of voters to participate in 2004, an aspect which seems to support emerging data on the likelihood that the participation rate in these elections will be much lower than expected this time round.
Having said this, I am of the opinion that as a people it would be unwise of us to simply ignore these elections. Whether we participate or not, someone will be elected, and it is always better for us to have a say in that matter rather than abdicate that responsibility to others.
More importantly still, the Maltese people would be well advised to note that increasingly the decisions which directly affect them are being taken in the European fora rather than at National level, with oftentimes the Maltese parliament having to play a secondary role by simply acknowledging that which would have been decided upon in Brussels. A clear manifestation of this is the large number of pieces of legislation which are being introduced in Malta by means of the instrument of a Legal Notice issued by the competent minister rather than by an Act of Parliament, which Legal Notices oftentimes merely reproduce European Directives word for word.
It is thus imperative, in my view at least, that we recognise that the European elections are not some frivolous excuse to have some political wrangling to spice up our lives with. The choice of which five representatives we as a people are to send to represent us in this only directly elected institution within the European Union is a very important one that needs to be taken seriously.
A decision needed to be taken. Different points of view where exposed, debated, and analysed, and in the end the people made their choice. That choice has been recognised and accepted by one and all, and we have moved on.
Admittedly, every so often, one does tend to hear some out of sync voices emerging from within the Nationalist camp. Oftentimes, these voices are coming from people who seem to wish that time stood still and that we are still back in 2003. These, to my mind at least, seem to be people who are unable to comprehend that in a democracy any decision, however important, is a reflection of the mood of the moment and that once taken, whether one was for or against it, that decision becomes a part of history, something best left for the historians and the academics to analyse and comment upon.
I still find it shocking to note that the same people who find it so easy to criticise Dom Mintoff and the post-1979 Labour Government for being unable to truly come to terms with the paradigmatic shift our country went through the moment Freedom, through the closure of the foreign military bases, was achieved, alas commit the same mistake when it comes to the European issue. Indeed there are Nationalist sympathisers who seem to think that just because at the time the Labour Party proposed different options to EU membership then, in their view the Labour Party should not even contemplate to participate in the European process by, for instance, fielding candidates for the European parliamentary elections.
It really is a pity that such people choose to get stuck in a time warp. Thankfully though, the Maltese people in general have moved on and recognise that today the issue is no longer one of whether Malta should become a member or not, but one that concerns the true aspirations of the people. In other words, the people of Malta and Gozo today do not want politicians to waste time preaching about the virtues or defects of the European Union, but rather they want them to focus their energies on making a success of this venture. It is actions not words that are of interest to the Maltese people.
Five years on, it is safe to say that Malta has only started nibbling at the true meaning of this new reality, and that there is still a long way to go before we can truly say that as a people we are maximising our potential within Europe.
In all honesty, five years on, one can safely say that there have been some positive aspects associated with Malta having joined the European Union. By and large, for instance, Malta has adjusted well to the adoption of the Euro. Similarly, it is positive to note that many Maltese are recognising the fact that now they are afforded greater protection against possible abuse by their government, with Malta having for the second year running registered the highest per capita share of complaints forwarded to the European Ombudsman.
At the same time however, it is worth noting that much still needs to be done. Five years on, it seems that unlike the other new members Malta is still struggling to get to terms with the obligations it has assumed through membership. A long list of European laws and regulations have been transposed into Maltese law, but there still seems to be a big problem with enforcement. Worse still, there are instances when rights and obligations arising through European legislation have been ignored or shelved by the local authorities thus requiring affected citizens or corporations to take the long winded road of seeking redress in a court of law, which as we all know is not renowned for its alacrity. The recent case concerning the imposition of VAT on excise duty levied on cars in Malta is but one case in point.
Come next June, the Maltese people will once again be called upon to cast their vote to elect their representatives in the European Parliament. This time round these elections will not have that sense of novelty which attracted a large number of voters to participate in 2004, an aspect which seems to support emerging data on the likelihood that the participation rate in these elections will be much lower than expected this time round.
Having said this, I am of the opinion that as a people it would be unwise of us to simply ignore these elections. Whether we participate or not, someone will be elected, and it is always better for us to have a say in that matter rather than abdicate that responsibility to others.
More importantly still, the Maltese people would be well advised to note that increasingly the decisions which directly affect them are being taken in the European fora rather than at National level, with oftentimes the Maltese parliament having to play a secondary role by simply acknowledging that which would have been decided upon in Brussels. A clear manifestation of this is the large number of pieces of legislation which are being introduced in Malta by means of the instrument of a Legal Notice issued by the competent minister rather than by an Act of Parliament, which Legal Notices oftentimes merely reproduce European Directives word for word.
It is thus imperative, in my view at least, that we recognise that the European elections are not some frivolous excuse to have some political wrangling to spice up our lives with. The choice of which five representatives we as a people are to send to represent us in this only directly elected institution within the European Union is a very important one that needs to be taken seriously.
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