"Our vision is in no way hampered by the limitations, or preconceptions related to the fact that Malta is the EU's smallest state. Success and size are not mutually exclusive" Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told the Diplomatic Corps. 

The Prime Minister went on to say that Brexit should not be allowed to take over the EU's agenda and it was Malta's desire, in the country's capacity as EU President, to bridge the gap between the unions and its citizens in order to regain faith at a grass roots level.

He went on to say that Brexit was not the future of the union, and that the common consensus both with citizens and heads of state is that the union is of a high value and is the best forum to combat future challenges.

Instead of looking to Brexit, people should celebrate the accomplishments of the EU, Dr Muscat said.

The Prime Minister also spoke of the country's priorities in the upcoming presidency namely migration, security, social inclusion and maritime affairs.

It was for this reason he pointed towards the agreement with Turkey as a positive step in solving the migration crisis caused by conflict in the Middle East since it has actually led to concrete results.

Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil said at the meeting that having a minister with a company in the secretive jurisdiction of Panama chairing the Energy Council of Ministers is not an internal affair.

 

He was addressing the Diplomatic Corps on the occasion of the new year.

"It is an eminently European affair because it gives the impression - rightly or wrongly - that the Commission and the Council are implicitly agreeing or accepting what has happened. People do not like this. People expect better from the EU because people hold the EU to high standards, and that is why we joined the EU - because of its high standards."

He said that he is an ardent supporter of the EU "and everyone in Malta knows this. Which is why, I suppose, many were surprised that last week in the presence of the President of the European Commission and the entire college of Commissioners, I stood up in Parliament to express the Maltese people's disappointment that the European Commission has not spoken nor even acknowledged an issue that our people care about: corruption."

"I criticised the Commission not just to reflect people's disappointment, but more importantly because I do not want to see our people distance themselves from the EU. Disconnect between the EU and the people, now we know, leads to a gradual, imperceptible walk towards the precipice of Brexit. I do not want us to go there. I firmly believe that our place is in Europe. But it must be a Europe of the people, that listens to the people and that reacts to their concerns. Dismissing this concern with the mantra "corruption is an internal matter" will, I'm afraid, no longer wash. Because people do not care what's internal or external. People care about what's right or wrong."

He said that he welcomes the visit of a delegation of the European Parliament committee to Malta next month, as part of its investigations into issues that erupted from the Panama Papers affair. "I am sure that they will find their visit to Malta very interesting. And I am sure that they will welcome the fact that they will find here many of us for whom having a minister with a secret company in Panama is simply, not OK."

He also spoke of his pride that Malta is leading the EU Council.

"This year is special because we started off with the first EU Presidency held by our country. Needless to say, here at the Nationalist Party, we are extremely proud of our country's Presidency of the Council of the European Union and we are supportive of the agenda put forward by the Government of Malta for the Presidency, especially on issues such as immigration which is now a long-standing issue that needs to be addressed once and for all." 

"We hope that our Presidency proves to be successful and that we can conform to the EU tradition that the smallest Member States preside over some of the most successful presidencies."

"Some still speak of the irony that our Presidency is led by a Prime Minister who had campaigned so strongly to keep us out of the Union in the first place. I do not. I believe that what my party did was not for itself but for our country and I am pleased to see that the country is still benefitting from the vision of my party four years after we went into Opposition. Of course, it is also good to see that we have persuaded our Prime Minister so well that he has now become an ardent supporter of the EU." 

Dr Busuttil expressed his sorrow at the new news of an avalanche in Abruzzo, in Italy, which has left some 30 people missing. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims but also with the rescuers who, as we speak, are racing against time to save as many lives as possible," he said

He also spoke about the upcoming General election next year.

"Domestically we are now in the final year of the mandate of the current Government which expires in March next year. This means that a general election will be called either by the end of this year or the first quarter of next year. This also means that political parties are preparing in earnest to be election-ready - or battle-ready if you like - and therefore there are many pleasures yet to come. What animates a democracy more than the possibility of debating arguments, understanding who has the best vision and ideas for the country and choosing the people who represent us and the Government that will lead us? The Nationalist Party is gearing up and looks forward to be an active player in our democracy as we head towards a general election"

Speaking about Brexit, He said that he could not hide his sadness at the decision of the British people to leave the EU," and also the announcement this week of what looks like a hard-Brexit. But it is a decision that I respect. I believe that our attention, as Europeans, must now turn to ensuring that Brexit remains a one-off and that it will not signal a spiral trend towards the disintegration of the European Union. But to do this, it is for us to shape Europe in a manner that is meaningful for people to continue to support. People do not support the European Union just for the sake of it; but only a Union that makes their lives better. This is why I speak passionately about why the EU should stay close to the European citizens!. 

He announced that on March 29 and 30 this year, the PN will host the Congress of the European People’s Party here in Malta for the first time. “The EPP Congress will bring the leaders of all EPP parties across Europe, including some key government leaders in the EU along with more than 1,000 EPP delegates and hundreds of journalists to Malta. This will be an exciting event for us and I am proud that the single largest event in Malta during our country’s EU Presidency is being hosted by our party. I am even more satisfied to see that theme of the Congress will be a subject that is very important for our party and for all of us here in Malta, ‘Securing Europe’s Future.’”

Turning to the US election of Donald Trump, he said;  "As we wait to see what the new administration will mean in practice, my hope is that the United States, the most powerful country in the world, will retain its fundamental character as a beacon of freedom, hope and democracy in the world, a country that plays fair and that can be gentle with countries, no matter their size, who ask for its help." 

"This is even more so in a world where terrorism has taken a new dimension which is ever more difficult to foil as we have seen in Berlin, in Nice, in Brussels and elsewhere. And people expect from us security, because security is fundamental for them. And they are right to expect us to protect them and to allow them to go on living a normal life, without fear."

He expressed his concern with the situation in Syria, as well as Libya.