“Whether you are for or against Europe” said PES President Poul Nyrup Rasmussen “is yesterday’s debate. No one can seriously doubt that the European Union has played a big role in establishing peace, democracy and prosperity in Europe. No one can seriously doubt that the European Union has a big future role in helping us to tackle challenges that individual nations cannot deal with alone, such as globalization and climate change.”

It is high time that this attitude be taken once and for all with regard to the MLP stance on the EU over the past few years. Malta’s presence within the EU is yesterday’s debate and anybody who tries to come up with something different is missing the wood for the trees or, agenda in hand, is doing his or her best to identify the present MLP with long gone policies. In 2003 the Maltese population took an electoral vote in favour of our joining the European Union. Some time later, during an extraordinary general conference, the MLP took a vote in favour of our continued existence within the EU.

For many, however, this was not enough. The MLP was repeatedly lambasted for its stance five years ago. I understand this to an extent. I can understand the criticism of the stance taken by the MLP as having been the position not accepted by the population at large. This, after all, was the verdict of the 2003 general election. To be fair to all concerned, it was the only issue in the 2003 election. Other issues were ignored. The MLP stance had been that the PN had not negotiated proper conditions for entry. The general election result gave acceptance to the negotiations concluded by the PN. That should have been the end of the story.

Prior to the last election the MLP was once more pictured as being contrary to the EU. This was the result of the MLP having indicated its willingness to re-discuss the Dockyard situation with the EU. Frankly, I find nothing wrong with this. I know, as we all do, that a package is a package, in the sense that Malta had negotiated a package for our entry into the EU.

What the MLP indicated was that independently of the content of the whole package, it was worth our while to explore the possibility of some form of negotiation to try to save the hundreds of workers whose livelihood depends on the dockyard. Again: there was nothing wrong with this. This kind of negotiation is carried out on a daily basis within the EU structures. Were it not for this, the whole raison d’etre of the EU would be defeated. We must repeatedly remind ourselves that originally the EU was intended, by and large, to ensure that whenever problems arise between nations these are to be resolved through negotiation. This basic reasoning led to the institution that is now the EU.

There is nothing wrong with accepting that there may have been individuals or parties who were contrary to the EU but are now four square behind the European process.

“The real debate is what sort of European Union do we want?” said Poul Nyrup Rasmussen. “For me the fundamental question is do we want a European Union where the market is king, or do we want a social Europe where the free market is combined with social justice and environmental sustainability?”

This then ought to be the crux of the matter. The MLP position on the EU has been crystal clear for all and sundry for some years now and is well in keeping with the sentiments above expressed. Critics have had a field day spreading inaccuracies, but, honestly, enough is enough!

Simon Micallef Stafrace

Valletta