Labour MEP and former Prime Minister of Malta Alfred Sant has voted against a European Parliament resolution requesting the United Kingdom to invoke Article 50 TEU “as soon as possible,” on the basis that it will might trigger off more referenda in other member states.
Dr Sant said that a resolution at the European Parliament calling the UK to withdraw from the EU as soon as possible by triggering Article 50, will play into the hands of forces in Europe who will see in it multiple opportunities to call new referenda in other EU states.
“The UK, which remains a very important part of Europe, is in political turmoil and in no position to start negotiations on leaving the EU. Waiting till the situation stabilizes there before the leave process takes off, will not affect the current state of uncertainty, and is in the fundamental interests of European, including British, working people,” he said in a statement to the press.
He said the way forward, as presented in the resolution, will be incomprehensible to most European citizens and their families, and cannot appear as a response to their concerns and fears.
“The resolution does not ask the right questions or provide the right replies; --starting a wide discussion on treaty changes, some directed towards increased federalism when no prospects exist to effectively bridge the growing divergences between different regions of the EU, is not the right way forward,” he explained.
Tabling an explanation of vote at the European Parliament, Dr Sant said he voted against the resolution submitted jointly by the EPP, the S&D, ALDE and the Greens because there is no legal or political basis to insist that Article 50 TEU be activated forthwith.
The resolution passed with 395 voting in favour, 200 voting against and 71 abstained.
Labour MEP Miriam Dalli and Nationalist MEPs Roberta Metsola and David Casa all voted in favour of the resolution. PN MEP Therese Comodini Cachia gave no reply when asked about the vote, while PL MEP Marlene Mizzi could not attend the vote for personal reasons.
Dr Dalli said: “I voted in favour of this so as to send a strong signal that the process needs to start to avoid undue uncertainties in the other 27 Member States whilst giving the UK enough breathing space for the current political turmoil to settle down. The British people have decided and that decision needs to be respected and acted upon. My vote reflects the fact that I believe that the European project is very much alive, however, it needs to be reformed and focus on the needs of our citizens across all of the European Union, particularly our families, workers and the most vulnerable. It is of utmost importance that the European Union identifies the current challenges and addresses them properly.
“I would have preferred stronger wording on how the EU is to move forward to make sure it addresses the needs of our citizens whether at their home, place of work, business, community and the like. More than ever before we cannot take a 'one size fits all' approach. I am not happy with cosmetic changes. We need to see more action and fewer words.
Mr Casa said that “we need to ensure that once Article 50 is triggered negotiations take place in an environment which is conducive towards fair process, ensuring that the European Union’s values are preserved and nurtured. The UK has always been a strategic and important partner for Malta, but we must now also preserve our interests as an EU Member State. “
He went on to say that the original wording of the resolution, which called on the UK to invoke Article 50 “immediately” was too strong.
Focusing on the need on bringing clarity to all those who could be effected by the UK exiting the EU, Dr Metsola said that “we are seeing uncertainty in the financial markets across the globe, uncertainty among Maltese and other EU citizens living in the UK and among British citizens living in Malta and in other EU countries. It our responsibility now to do what we can to mitigate this period of uncertainty as much as we can. In light of this, I voted in favour of a resolution that called for the UK to trigger Article 50 “as soon as possible”.
“This means that we are sending a signal to the UK that, while we are not setting any impossibly tight deadlines, we would like to bring clarity to the situation as soon as possible. That is what people expect from us now. We need to see how best to go about reforming the EU to ensure that it remains ever more relevant to the lives of every citizen and the sooner we start the better.
“While we may regret the choice of the British people, we have to make sure that their will is respected and we should not drag out this situation longer than necessary. The negotiations will be tough but I want to make clear that contrary to what Nigel Farage may be saying, there is simply no way that any country can have all the benefits of EU membership without the costs or the responsibilities,” she concluded.