Over the past two weeks or so, Malta has been hit by several “warnings” from the European Commission.

As you said in your leader entitled Difficulties with Brussels (TMID, 28 March), “we are in difficulty with the bureaucrats in Brussels over car registration tax, spring hunting, greenhouse gas emissions and transposition of the EU’s laws on the landfilling of waste”.

This is, perhaps, what we voted for when we decided – or at least, the majority of people decided – to join the European Union. It is precisely for this purpose that we wanted Malta to become an EU member.

This is because the government – whoever that may be – can no longer take the people for a ride. We are now being scrutinised by the European Commission, and whatever wrong we do, whatever rules we break, we are going to be reprimanded and, in extreme cases, also pay the price.

Governments can no longer do what they like because they have someone to watch over them.

Mario Micallef

Birkirkara