19 October 2007 will be remembered as the day when the European Union member states’ leaders agreed to equip the Union to face future challenges. The agreement reached during the night in Portugal sends a clear message to all: the European Union is not stuck; it is as progressive as ever. This historic milestone will guarantee a better future for both the European Union and its citizens.

“We need the EU to speak with a single strong voice to deliver global leadership. We need more efficient and democratic decision making to deliver policy results that benefit our citizens,” declared Commission President Barroso during a press conference prior to the meeting.

Only a European Union that is strong, unified and efficient can have decisive influence in a world which is transforming and changing so fast, in such a complex and unstable manner.

The new Treaty of Lisbon is another European victory. The new treaty puts the European Union in a much better position to deal with future challenges. With the ratification of the new treaty, we will be able to compete better in a globalised world.

Thanks to this treaty, which will be formally signed on 13 December in Lisbon, the EU will overcome the deadlock of many years and overcome its institutional crisis, taking an important step towards its affirmation in world politics.

The world will not wait for us; all member states must be able to decide efficiently and democratically. This new treaty will allow us to meet those challenges. It will make the EU more efficient, more transparent and more flexible in order to meet current and future tests.

The new treaty is an important step in the construction of Europe. It is designed to meet the challenges of an enlarged Europe; a Europe of 27 member states and 450 million inhabitants. A democratic, transparent, efficient Europe, working to serve all Europeans.

Indeed, such an agreement would end the political crisis of the EU and give new impetus to the European institutions to face challenges such as climate change, irregular migration, job creation and better working conditions. Now we can turn these challenges into success stories.

This treaty will empower the citizens’ voice and I am very pleased that Malta will strengthen its voice thanks to another MEP. The redistribution of MEP seats in the European Parliament, which goes into effect from the coming EP election in 2009, sets a country’s minimum representation to six seats.

The newly proposed procedure will see an overall limit of 750 seats, with a maximum of 96 and a minimum of six per member state. This means that Malta will be getting another representative at the European Parliament.

With more MEP’s representing the Maltese citizens, our voice will not only be stronger, but it will be diversified , giving a true reflection of Maltese society. In this manner, we will be able to promote our country and our electorate in more committees, covering more issues that may affect our country.

The approval given by the European Parliament for the redistribution of seats, proved to be a backing to the new reform treaty. A large majority of 70 per cent of the votes cast, adopted the draft report. On such a sensitive issue, members were able to overcome their national interests to agree on a system consistent with the new treaty, facilitating a simpler and more democratic Union.

Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of the European Union, once said, “We are not making a coalition of states, but are uniting people” – (30 April, 1952). This is the most precise description of the European Union’s objective and we must work together to achieve it. The new treaty will be another useful tool to assure a brighter, peaceful and prosperous future for the coming generations.

New obligations are imposed on the European institutions regarding the consultation of civil society, transparency of the decision-making process and access to documents.

The new treaty means more rights for all European citizens and more solidarity between member states. Solidarity is imperative to strengthen competition in today’s globalised world. The agreement guarantees Europeans a single area of ‘freedom, security and justice.’

Malta – as a member of the European Union, and the Maltese – as European citizens, will be reaping the fruits of the agreement. This will further strengthen our country’s vision to gain more success not only within the European Union, but also as a nation.

David Casa is a Nationalist MEP

[email protected]

www.davidcasa.eu