During a public meeting held at the Nationalist Party (PN) club in Qormi, Nationalist MEP David Casa said that despite a difficult start, Malta is starting to reap fruits from its EU membership.

Mr Casa said the first few years of EU membership had been very difficult for certain countries, and yet ultimately turned out to be very successful. Citing Ireland as an example, Mr Casa said the road to success is still a long one and the adoption of the European currency is just the start of that road.

Also present for the discussion was Nationalist MP John Dalli. He said the PN’s vision for the country’s entry into the EU was not only dictated by economical benefits, but also by other positives such as better protection for democracy, human rights and higher standards.

For the past three years, said Mr Dalli, the Maltese have been trying to come to terms with what membership actually means. He said that one particular benefit, especially for businessmen, was that the local market has expanded. In fact, he said, businessmen can now operate in an EU market of 450 million people, rather than that containing Malta’s 400,000 people. He added that liberalisation will also be a catalyst for the economy.

Mr Dalli said at first Maltese businessmen may seek to purchase their wares from foreign wholesalers, but said he was confident that they will return to Maltese wholesalers as it will prove to be more convenient.

He encouraged disgruntled businessmen to stop grumbling, take stock and try to be innovative. He said that gone are the days when products were copied and sold in the local market. Mr Dalli explained that in today’s mindset, businessmen need to diversify their products, be innovative and have a vision that transcends our borders and encompasses the EU.

Speaking about the euro, the former finance minister said that some form of inflation come 1 January is to be expected, however it should not be compared with that experienced in Italy.

He pointed out that the Italians used to fork out a thousand lire for a cappuccino. When the euro was introduced on 1 January 2002, they were asked to pay in euro cents, and businesses rounded off prices to the nearest euro. Mr Dalli said that when one is accustomed to pay in huge denominations, a price change of a few cents is seen as futile, when in reality, it can sum up to 25 per cent of the product.

He said the episode will not be repeated in Malta, as the Maltese are accustomed to handling currency which holds more value than the euro, therefore perceptions will be very different.

Mr Dalli said Maltese entrepreneurs lack certain information about EU aid because Maltese firms, given their small size, cannot afford to allocate large parts of their revenues to EU research. Therefore, he said, the government must take this burden on its shoulders and provide more information to the Maltese.

Mr Casa said the lack of lobbyists at the European Parliament had to be overcome through alliances with other MEPs hailing from other countries. He said that the five Maltese MEPs had come together on a number of issues in order to work for the national interest, pointing out also that the way politics is carried out in Brussels is very different to how it is done in Malta.

Bridging Mr Dalli’s plea for more information, Mr Casa said Malta had an “overdose of information” prior to the referendum and subsequently decreased markedly. He said the Maltese still need more information.

He also spoke about the need for research and innovation and suggested that Malta should emulate those “other much larger countries who invest huge sums of money in research and innovation.”

The MEP praised the Malta Labour Party for its intention to back Malta’s entry in the Eurozone and said that “Labour’s latest U-turn” was carried out in the national interest. He maintained that the same should have been done in the years prior to EU membership.

In this regard he said the PN had always been a party with a vision that gave Malta its independence and EU membership.

Mr Casa said he was very happy that he and fellow Nationalist MEP Dr Simon Busuttil succeeded in luring a key EPP meeting to Malta, even though several other countries wanted to organise the meeting themselves.

Also present for the meeting were MP Clyde Puli and Resources and Infrastructure Minister Ninu Zammit.

Mr Puli gave a brief overview of the overhaul of the health system following the completion of the Mater Dei Hospital on 29 June. He said the new hospital has been described by foreign professionals as world class.

Minister Zammit gave an overview of work carried out by his ministry in Qormi, mainly the parvis of the two parish churches and the water course that prevents flooding in the

low-lying town.