Dr de Marco said the right to participate and vote in the European Parliament was a unique experience. “We felt at home with the European family of the European Popular Party and it was indeed an honour to represent our country and to be able to vote for our Commissioner and our representative on the European Audit Board.” Concluding, Dr de Marco said that in these EP elections “we must look” for those candidates whose beliefs are compatible with those of the Nationalist Party.
The other MEP, Dr Jason Azzopardi said that this experience in the European Parliament was a short but intense one. It was also a privilege and a historic occasion to be able to participate and talk in Maltese. He also spoke about the importance of maintaining our position on Europe’s Christian heritage and also urged the electorate to vote for those candidates, represented by the PN, who can bring Malta forward in a new Europe.
Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi described the process of participation in the whole European structure and said this had been accomplished by the Nationalist Party. He insisted that this European experience was not something new and that we have already achieved much in our pursuit of the European road. The Prime Minister also recalled last week’s enlargement ceremony in Ireland and said that now Malta is part of Europe as an equal and no longer an outsider.
Dr Gonzi insisted that the PN’s European credentials were impeccable and great changes are already taking place since Malta’s accession on 1 May. The Prime Minister cited reductions in prices, abolition of levies, the elimination of bureaucracy and a new market of 450 million people as being some of the major advantages of EU membership. He also highlighted the reorganisation of the way VAT would be collected, which would hopefully help to stimulate the economy and create work, and the decisions that are being taken to safeguard the environment together with a sound policy on waste management.
The Malta Independent on Sunday asked PN Deputy Leader, Dr Tonio Borg if the PN is apprehensive about Alternattiva Demokratika siphoning off votes from the Nationalist Party. He responded by reiterating the statement he made at the PN General Council where he had warned the electorate on the extreme left wing tendencies of the European Greens and that voting for the AD would be harmful for the well-being of our country. Answering another question on the possibilities that the European Socialists would become the larger political group in the European Parliament, Prime Minister Gonzi said that predictions indicate that the European Popular Parties will increase, not reduce, their majority in the new European Parliament.