Addressing parliament, he said the satisfaction was even greater in view of the fact that Malta was part of this agreement and was also part of the marathon discussions held for the constitution to be drawn up.

The greatest achievement during the Intergovernmental Conference held in Brussels over the weekend, Dr Gonzi said, was the decision that the least number of seats for any member state is set at six, while the maximum number becomes 96. He said the EU leaders also agreed that the number of members at the European Parliament will be capped at 750.

Dr Gonzi said this achievement was not only positive for Malta but also for other small countries since the EU established the minimum number of seats in the EP. He said the departure point was that the least number of seats should be reduced to four.

Malta insisted that for the country to give its proper contribution, it needed six seats. This point was understood and we have achieved what we were lobbying for, he said. Dr Gonzi said this agreement will come into effect in 2009, at the next EP election.

Dr Gonzi said this constitution laid the necessary foundations for the EU to grow and prosper, even more now that it has increased to 25 member states.

He expressed his satisfaction that the specific requests made by Malta were all accepted. He explained that in the part of the constitution which deals with islands, it was agreed that the EU should give these islands the required assistance. At first, he said, those islands which have a capital city were not part of the definition of an island. However, following discussions, the definition was widened and now Malta qualifies for such assistance.

Dr Gonzi also spoke about another agreement reached following Malta’s insistence. This time about unanimity. In decisions regarding taxation, including social services, the EU needs a unanimous decision for these changes to come into force. Other decisions include amendments to changes to the EU constitution and on changes to the union’s policies.

On the question on qualified majority voting, the EU leaders accepted Malta’s position that an agreement can only be reached if 55 per cent of the member states representing 65 per cent of the EU population voted in favour of the resolution.

Dr Gonzi also spoke, at length, about Malta’s insistence for a reference to Christian Heritage in the new EU constitution. He said that even though there was no possibility on a compromise being reached on the matter, Malta is proud that it managed to get the backing of other member states on the issue.

In conclusion, Dr Gonzi thanked all those people who were part of the discussion leading to this historic agreement. He added that this time Malta was a key player rather than just a spectator.