Are we getting there? Is Malta heading for a foreign policy acceptable to all political parties?

These are among the questions being put by many Maltese in view of the Labour Party’s decision to vote in favour of the Constitution for Europe ratification motion to be discussed and be voted for in our Parliament within the next two months or so.

This is definitely a big plus. Not for the Nationalist government, not for the Labour Party, but for Malta as a whole. Perhaps, after all, there are those who have decided to grow up within the Labour Party ranks and will no longer accept that the whims and pleasures of the few pass over the necessities of life and the true feeling at the roots of the Malta Labour Party. Or perhaps the Labour Party has acknowledged the writing on the wall. These are the realities of the day.

Malta is in the European Union to stay. The Commission has decided that Malta is to benefit from Objective One Cohesion Funds which will mean an excess of some Lm40 million per year over a seven-year period between 2007 and 2013 – this apart from other funds which are continuously being made available to us in order to enhance our chances of becoming truly competitive and upgrade our infrastructure and economic potential.

Another fact which may have led to the Labour Party’s deciding in favour of the Constitution is what happened with VAT legislation. It has realised that its repeated questioning of and opposition to Malta’s membership of the European Union will lead to it being more isolated than ever before and that any further prolonging of the bickering over the matter can only set it back in its political ambitions of one day returning to government.

However, this is definitely proving right the strategy – taken up so many years ago by the Nationalist Party. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has, however, taken matters one step further. After signing the Constitution papers, together with Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, some months back, as from the 1st May, Malta has joined the ERM II, aiming at joining the eurozone by 2008 at the latest.

Labour has so far stated that it does not agree – finding all kinds of excuses to oppose anything European. Coming around to positive cooperation would definitely bring about a better economic climate.

But returning to the Constitution for Europe. The EDRC (European Documentation and Research Centre) at the University of Malta has recently published a very positive and interesting publication, edited by Professor Peter G. Xuereb, which purports to publicise the papers presented in its April 2005 conference.

Topics covered include various subjects which are of greater significance to us than others:

• The Institutional Aspects of the Constitutional Treaty – A Small State perspective, a paper presented by Professor John A Usher;

• The Draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe – What it Means for Malta, a paper presented by Professor Peter G Xuereb; and

• The Constitutional Treaty and Common Foreign and Security Policy, a paper presented by Dr Roderick Pace

These should all prove of special interest to anyone who wants to look at the subject in depth and it is a pity that such a publication has not been widely distributed.

As one would expect, people tend to form opinions by hearing comments or reading bits and pieces of the Constitution or mainly by tagging the party line without really going into the subject or even bothering to analyse what the “Constitution for Europe” really means. Unfortunately there are also many who have never taken “prime” time to even have a look at the Maltese Constitution, because they assume that the people at the political end of the line will look into such matters and see that these will guarantee our country’s basic rights and obligations.

This time the Constitution is to guarantee our rights and obligations across the continent. It will further create a harmonised medium of operation wherein eventually adherence will become second nature.

Let us hope that in Malta this will serve as the first step towards cooperation where it counts.

Tony Abela is Parliamentary Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister