The Nationalist Party members of the European Parliament yesterday expressed their disappointment that the three MLP MEPs failed to vote in favour of the new European Constitution.

The PN MEPs, Simon Busuttil and David Casa, voted in favour of the new EU Constitution during yesterday’s plenary session of the European Parliament meeting in Strasbourg.

On the other hand, two MLP MEPs, Joseph Muscat and Louis Grech, abstained whereas the head of the MLP delegation John Attard Montalto was not even present at the session.

In yesterday’s vote 500 members votes in favour, 137 against whereas 40 members abstained.

The MLP MEPs form part of the group of European Socialists, which is the most pro-European political group in the European Parliament. A few weeks ago, Dr Attard Montalto was reported in the media saying that the fact that the MLP has no official position on the EU Constitution was putting the MLP MEPs in a “difficult situation”.

This notwithstanding, only two out of five Maltese MEPs supported the new Constitution, putting Malta in an embarrassing position, Dr Busuttil and Mr Casa said.

This was a missed opportunity on the part of the MLP to support the European Constitution and to turn a page on its recent ambiguities over Europe. EU membership is now a reality and the MLP is still not able to embrace Europe openly, they added.

The MLP had a long time to be able to come to a position by yesterday. Suffice it to recall that the text of this Constitution was adopted seven months ago, last June, but its draft has been discussed for the past three years. Alfred Sant himself was a member of the European Convention that drafted this Constitution and his substitute was George Vella. This means that the MLP had all the time to be able to adopt a position on the new Constitution ahead of today’s vote, the two PN MEPs said.

More significantly, it means that when it comes to shouldering political responsibility for important decisions the MLP always lacks the courage to decide. The MLP is afraid to shoulder the political responsibility of supporting the Constitution or of rejecting it.

Among other things, the new Constitution incorporates for the first time Malta’s sixth seat in the European Parliament. But the MLP has now put itself in a position where it did not vote in favour of this sixth seat when it was given the opportunity to do so.

On the other hand, the position of the PN on Europe has always been clear and unambiguous. The PN favours the new Constitution because it is good for Europe and good for Malta. Among other things, it also increases Malta’s representation in the EU institutions, by securing Malta’s turn in the EU Presidency and a sixth seat for Malta in the European Parliament. Through its representatives in the party and government, the PN has also participated actively in drafting as well as in the debate on the Constitution, they said.