Former Prime Minister and Maltese MEP Alfred Sant pledged he will continue to compaign in favour of a Europe of independent and sovereign nation states, as opposed to the concept of a federal Europe which will dictate  EU states’ policies from Brussels.

“We can’t afford to have this vision to be hijacked by the populists,” said the Maltese MEP when addressing a social activity organised by Parliamentary Secretary Anthony Agius Decelis.

Alfred Sant said that to safeguard Malta’s future within the EU it will be crucial to elect Maltese representatives who stand for the national interests of Malta and Gozo in Europe.

“The support of the Maltese and Gozitan electorate on 25 May would serve to reinforce the strength with which I and like minded candidates could operate to look after the sovereign interests of Malta and Gozo in the European Parliament.”

The Maltese MEP referred to the Citizen programme by Investment.

“The EU has no powers granted by the European treaties to oversee the Maltese Citizen by Investment programme. Malta’s success has fuelled unjust attacks  - supported by PN MEPs - on Malta  and Cyprus in the European Parliament, two of the EU’s smallest member states.”

The Maltese MEP said other European countries have been granting EU citizenship to non EU nationals for obscure and unpublicised reasons, with no accountability at all at a European level.  No one ever criticised them in the European Parliament for this practice.

“I strongly believe that Nationalist MEPs have every right to criticise the Maltese Labour Government in Malta. But they should never harm Malta’s interests in European and other foreign circles. This is unacceptable.”

Alfred Sant urged Maltese and Gozitan citizens to support the Malta Labour Party in May’s European elections so as to continue to defend Malta’s and Gozo’s interests in Europe.