Juan Ameen
The chairman of the Centre for National Independence (CNI), former prime minister and Labour leader Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, yesterday said the number of Maltese who were against EU membership was on the rise and that they should be given the opportunity to make their choice and free Malta from EU membership.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici told a news conference that only 47 per cent of the Maltese truly wanted EU membership in 2004.
“In 2004, at least 53 per cent of the Maltese did not want EU membership: those who voted against and those who abstained,” he argued.
The leaders of the three political parties, who were in favour of membership, were ignoring the wishes of the majority who were actually opposing it, he added.
Today, said Dr Mifsud Bonnici, there were more people who were disillusioned than there were three years ago when Malta joined the EU.
He pointed out that the Maltese parliament approved the EU Constitution in July 2005, only a month after the French and Dutch did not approve it.
“Today, the EU is revising its Constitution and seeing what needs to be changed,” he said.
However, added Dr Mifsud Bonnici, what will be decided will not be presented to the Maltese for their approval.
“The public should be given the right to express themselves and see if they agree to the proposed amendments to the EU Constitution,” he said.
At present, the people were in the dark about the negotiations on the EU Constitution and they needed to be informed, he added.
“Not only do they need to be informed about what is going on but their needs should be taken into consideration,” said Dr Mifsud Bonnici.
He pointed out that the CNI and the Alleanza Nazzjonali Repubblikana (ANR) along with other associations were against EU membership.
“The opposition to EU membership is growing as more and more people are realising that it is not to our advantage to form part of the EU,” said Dr Mifsud Bonnici.
He added he had asked the government to give a full account of all the costs involved since Malta became a member of the EU, but his request was refused.
One clear example of extra costs was the training that the government had to provide for 40 police officers to fulfil Malta’s obligations when the Schengen Treaty was signed, said Dr Mifsud Bonnici.
“This year the government will pay a total of Lm22 million to the EU and this is clearly stated in this year’s budget estimates. We need to see what were the actual financial gains from the EU for the country,” he said.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici said he believed there would be more advantages if Malta became a partner with the EU and not a member.
He added that the euro changeover did not create any obstacles for Malta to leave the EU.
“Adopting the euro is an advantage because we can still keep on using the currency in other countries, even if we are no longer EU members,” he said.