At the end of the very first six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union, held by Malta, it is time to draw up a balance.
There is no doubt that the government and the entire structure in Malta and in Brussels worked hard to deliver a result that did us proud.
The comments that have been made at the end of the Presidency were quite congratulatory, considering the smallness of the country and the limited resources available.
Similarly complacent congratulations were the order of the day in Malta but that was to be expected.
Perhaps the most technical of appraisals was made by new PN MP David Stellini, whose background was working in the EPP in Brussels but unfortunately no media has so far reported his speech which analysed in detail where Malta's presidency had succeeded and those areas where Malta could or should have done better.
There is also the assessment which we publish on our front page today by the European Environmental Bureau which says that Malta has performed well in relation to nature protection but badly when it comes to measures to tackle climate change or transform the EU's energy system.
But all these appreciations, analyses and judgments are about the various dossiers which the Member States had in front of them at their various Council meetings. Maybe these issues were important, considering the laborious process by means of which the EU governs itself.
But one must not forget the wider background - ie the global situation of the EU itself.
On the one hand, it is indisputable that the economy of the Union is improving after the recession and the financial crisis of the past years. There has been a significant drop in unemployment and there is an air of general optimism all around. However, the crisis is still far from being over. The number of people out of a job in many member states, especially Greece, is still far too high, still causing pain and despair to millions.
The EU is still facing the impact of Brexit whose negotiations are still at an early stage. The Brexit issue is not just an issue which regards the UK but also one that regards the EU as a whole. It is true that the elections in the Netherlands and especially in France have given hope where previously there was despair.
The EU is still facing an external problem which is the new US administration and its overly protectionist President.
And, of course, the EU as a whole is still facing huge internal issues of governance and of relevance to the people. Although, as a result of the Brexit vote, people in the rest of the EU have become more favourable to the EU than before.
Given the way the EU is governed, it would have been impossible to expect more from Malta. This small nation is quite unable to manage and guide the rest of the member states in the way towards growth, prosperity and justice.
It is a sobering thought that the much-acclaimed Malta summit of last February has not produced one iota of difference where migration is involved. The Eastern countries are still adamant in resisting the resettlement of migrants and now while Austria is moving tanks to block migrants entering from Italy, the Italian government is threatening to stop non-Italian ships, even those belonging to charitable NGOs, from entering Italian ports and depositing thousands and thousands of migrants which no other country wants to take.
Maybe, in the Maltese Presidency, progress was registered on some dossiers but the EU as a whole is still in intensive care.