A Union of minorities

The visit to Malta by European Commission President Romano Prodi and EU Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen went off well and certainly gave a boost to Malta's bid to enter the European Union in the next enlargement of the bloc. Both Prof. Prodi and Commissioner Verheugen made some very valid points about Malta and the EU which rubbished many of the hysterical arguments used in Malta by the anti-membership camp. Both gentlemen also made it clear that Malta is in a very good position for early EU membership and that we could easily catch up with the six candidate countries which began membership talks in 1998.

Perhaps the most significant statement made by Prof. Prodi during his Malta visit was that the EU is a "Union of minorities" where everyone has a say in the running of the Union. No one people, ideology, country or religion dominates the European Union, he said. The EU President explained that small countries perform very well within the EU and cited the examples of Ireland and Luxembourg.

In reality, small States do very well in the European Union and their influence is, in proportion, much greater than their size would suggest. This is something which has to be repeated again and again in Malta as the country debates the benefits of EU membership.

Prof. Prodi also pointed out that if Malta had to join the European Union our sovereignty would be strengthened and not diminished. Prof. Prodi is right, of course. Of all the 15 EU member States, not one of them, from Luxembourg and Holland to Germany and France, have lost any of their identity or sovereignty. On the contrary, not only is an EU country's identity enhanced, but so is the identity of any minorities that exist within a particular State.

The EU Commission President brought up an issue which is very close to the opposition Labour Party's heart: Malta's Mediterranean vocation. The EU President not only reaffirmed the importance that the EU attached to the Mediterranean - this should surprise no one as one third of the EU member States are in the Mediterranean, but also emphasised the important role that Malta could play in further developing ties between the EU and the countries of the southern Mediterranean.

This is clearly what The Malta Business Weekly believes - that as a European Union member, Malta could greatly contribute towards peace and stability in the Mediterranean. Imagine Malta opening a dialogue with the countries of northern Africa knowing that it has the backing of the European Union; surely that would carry much more weight than if Malta had to conduct an initiative on its own? What can we achieve on our own and what weight do we carry as a country outside the European Union?

When addressing Malta's Parliament the EU Commission President also made it clear that when talking about alternatives to EU membership one has to be realistic about whether such alternatives are really possible. His message was clear: there is no such thing as a special relationship between Malta and the EU once the country remains outside the Union. We are either in or out of the EU. We can have a trade agreement with the EU if we want but that is about it. Malta should therefore not be deluded: we cannot have our cake and eat it. We cannot expect to remain outside the EU and be given any preferential treatment. The best way forward is through membership where we will have more influence, prestige and identity than we can ever imagine.

The only disappointing aspect of Prof. Prodi's position was the speech given by Labour leader Alfred Sant in Parliament in reply to the Commission President's address. Dr Sant not only hardened his position regarding his party's policy on EU membership - he effectively closed the door to this - by saying that Labour does not believe in EU membership "today nor in the foreseeable future", but once again said that his party in government would not accept the result of the referendum on EU membership.

Dr Sant said that a referendum only binds the government of the day and that a future administration had no obligation to recognise any referendum result. Such a statement is entirely unacceptable and is contrary to democratic practice.

What is the point of having a referendum on a specific issue if it is not going to be respected? In his same speech Dr Sant claimed that the Labour Party has always fought for European democratic values in Malta. Where are these values when it comes to accepting the verdict of the people in a referendum?

Alfred Sant is going against the tide of history and his party is, once again, clearly on the wrong side of history.