You had no visible political involvement in Malta until you contested the general election last year on the Labour ticket. Now you are contesting the European Parliament elections. What made you take the decision to involve yourself in politics in Malta now?

The years I spent working for the European Commission and my professional engagement with the EU delegation for Malta, I could not have any visibility whatsoever as it was a technical post. I did a lot of work in the background and I could not actually engage in public debates. This is a positive change for me. Being a candidate for these elections is an opportunity to be in the public arena and to contribute to Malta’s development at an important and difficult period in our history. With political representation in the European Parliament, Malta has an opportunity to re-invigorate its political system and to develop more mature methods of practicing politics. What will matter most in the European institutional system is not the political colour but our ability to work for Malta’s national interest and in favour of economic growth and job creation in Malta.

My main political activity over the past few years has been mostly in a European context. The European Youth Forum in Brussels, which is a partner of the European Commission and Council of Europe, was an excellent training ground. In the early 1990s I was also elected president of the National Youth Council and that, to a certain extent, gave me a good feel for policy making in a Maltese context.

But it’s true, I entered formal politics in Malta last year when I stood as a last-minute candidate for the MLP. Several people asked me why I felt I should do so after leaving the European Commission. What I wanted to do was to give my contribution, at a difficult moment in Malta, towards achieving a form of consensus in foreign policy in Malta. I think that was a crucial and delicate moment for Malta. Following the outcome of the referendum, what might have happened in case of a victory for the MLP, I wanted to help negotiate a better deal for Malta, taking into account certain important aspects overlooked by the Maltese government while also working towards having one voice in Malta’s foreign policy. I felt I could be more effective giving my contribution in public life through political activity rather than doing technical work in the background. Besides, having followed Maltese politics over the years I decided I should help introduce new energy and innovation to Malta’s political system at a time when people were losing confidence in the politicians who represent them.

How do you think you can bridge the gap with some of the Labour candidates for the European Parliament elections who are more well-known among party supporters?

First of all, I would like to say that I am very privileged to be part of a very competent team of candidates being presented by the Labour Party. We all have different qualities, different experiences and I hope that we will give a positive contribution to a public debate about the future of Malta in the context of these elections for the European Parliament. It is important for Malta to be represented effectively in the European Parliament by people who, apart from understanding the intricacies of European institutions, know the Maltese reality very well and who can therefore expose the issues which are important for Malta in the wider context of Europe. Of course, being a new face, I start at a disadvantage because you need to have a public profile, you need to be known by people and you need to earn the trust of people. I am confident there is enough time for all of us to participate extensively in this debate and that we will all give a contribution which corresponds to our experience.

How do you feel contesting the EP elections for a party that until last year was opposed to EU membership? How do you explain this change to grassroot Labour supporters who never dreamt of joining the EU as well as to the moderates who voted for the PN because of the EU ticket?

This is a very important question which gives me the opportunity to speak about the most important challenges that Malta will be facing in the future. I think that in politics there is an obligation to look at the past in order to understand the present reality with a view to planning for the future. I think there are two very important challenges that our nation will be facing in the future, particularly in the context of membership.

First the economy. We need to be able to work towards economic growth and to withstand the competitive pressure of the single market and, in doing so, being able to absorb the rules and regulations of the acquis in the short and medium term. I think the success of Malta’s membership in the EU will be measured against the performance of the economy and our ability to create jobs. The openings and opportunities for Malta created by EU membership will only bear fruit if Malta manages to devise a truly national strategy for economic growth and job creation with clear objectives. I believe that an MLP government would be better equipped to handle such an important task.

Secondly, a very important challenge for Malta within the context of membership is the security of Malta and our ability to have an innovative voice in international relations, to be able to play a part, a constructive part, in finding common ground with other Member States in order to have a more effective external policy for the EU. But we need to safeguard those instruments which can help us give such a contribution and I think neutrality for us will have a more significant meaning in this context in the future. Together with the four other neutral countries in the EU, Malta should take the lead in the frame of the constitutional development of Europe in a way that can help the rest of the world to achieve peace, stability and development. Here again, an MLP government can better navigate international waters with a view to having a voice in international politics greater than our physical size as well as being an international hub for various developments.

You were employed as an economist with the European Commission’s delegation to Malta. How do you think this experience will help you deal with EU institutions if you are elected?

Yes, I believe that my professional background, which allowed me to go into the detail of every single chapter of the EU-Malta accession negotiations, will allow me to understand first how the reality of membership will impact on the various sectors of Maltese society, particularly the economic sectors which need to adjust to the rules, regulations and directives of the acquis. My former colleagues at the Commission are also of the opinion that a difficult challenge for Malta is the ability to withstand the weight of the single market. This is a very important for Maltese MEPs because the European Union acquis is a moving target – there are new regulations, there are daily developments in the single market and other policy areas and we need to be prepared to anticipate these developments and manage the impact on the Maltese economy. A member of the European Parliament must ensure that the Maltese people have a respected voice in Brussels and must fight for every slice of support which can be achieved from the European Union. I hope to be able to use my contacts and my network in the institutions in order to help represent Malta in the best possible way and to report back to the people of Malta on the activities in Brussels so that people will be fully informed about all developments.

Do you think that the role of Maltese MEPs should be to defend Malta’s interests in the EU? If yes, how do think this should be done? Would you be willing to cooperate with the other Maltese MEPs from the PN or possibly AD in order to protect national interests?

I think having representation in the European Parliament is firstly an opportunity for us to expose important local issues in a wider theatre, and secondly an opportunity to contribute to the development of a Europe which is under construction. I agree that making a success out of EU membership requires a national effort and I expect that very active collaboration between the political parties represented in the Maltese group of parliamentarians at the European Parliament will be the order of the day. I think it is very crucial that at every moment where members of the European Parliament are required to defend the interests of Malta and to safeguard jobs, it is imperative for the elected MEPs to act above the partisan reality and to go a step beyond bi-partisan conflict which is normally a characteristic of our political reality. Here I would like to appeal to the Nationalist Party to respond to these challenges positively and in the national interest. I am afraid that the tone used by the Nationalist party today vis-à-vis the Labour Party is still very similar to the pre-election mode, trying to score points about which political party is most pro-European. The public is tired of this divisive and outdated talk. This should not be the language used at this crucial stage of Malta’s history. The political language we need today should correspond to our national effort to look forward and work towards a successful membership, to develop our economy and to contribute actively to the development of European integration while ensuring Malta’s security.