It was 44 years ago that Malta achieved independence from Great Britain and despite the tumult that arose, this nation has done well for itself since becoming a self governing and subsequently sovereign state.

Many are too young to remember those heady days – some of which are consigned to the history books while others still influence the way of life, socially, morally and politically – but it has been an eventful journey.

Following independence under a Nationalist Party government, Malta became a sovereign country which brought with it some years of strife, but one thing was never missing – the zeal of the Maltese people and its governments to push forward their ideals and forge our own future.

Yes, there were troubles, but by and large Malta has transformed itself from a dependent state to a fully fledged nation, supported by industries such as manufacturing and tourism in the 1980s and 1990s to the IT and financial services revolution that started later.

Many other nations went through what this tiny island nation of ours experienced and the results were often mired by bloodshed, rivalry and almost total collapse. We had our moments, but common sense prevailed and we are one people. Indeed, the few rocks that make up our home, our identity and our culture have surpassed all expectations that we, as a people, and those who might have wanted us to fail at the time harboured.

Malta went from independence to sovereignty and the next massive occasion was joining the EU on 1 May 2004.

The run up to crunch decision time was fraught with danger with Malta being one of the most divided of European Union membership applicants on whether or not the country should take the plunge.

At the time, the left argued that we would lose our sovereignty while others such as the Campaign for National Independence went beyond and said that Malta would be swallowed up whole. The right said that the only way forward was to integrate and compete, facing up to all the opportunities and challenges that bloc membership would present to us. So far so good. The truth is actually something in between what the various political movements told the people. Malta has gained more independence in some senses, yet it has lost on other fronts. But is this at all bad?

Unfortunately, Malta was very late with its nationwide reform – and yes, the EU has imposed rules and fined us on issues where we were in breach of regulations and directives. But if we truly had to look within ourselves, we might realise that it is only because of EU membership that we are finally managing to challenge the “banana Republic” nickname which we gave ourselves.

Hopefully, within a few years we will look back and say that it was a misnomer, or just part of our past. Examples of positives include the way we were forced to tackle the Maghtab issue, illegal hunting, our transport network, massive and unfair state subsidies to bankrupt state companies. That prodding finger and the occasional nudge and rap on the knuckles we get from the EU are definitely needed.

However, this newspaper believes that the good must be shown with the bad – the EU has not helped as much as it could and has dragged its feet on irregular migration; it also sometimes does not take into account our unique circumstances relating to size and geographic position. And this is where we need to stand up and be counted as sovereign and independent Malta.

We should encourage all our politicians, be they left, right, green or in Brussels, to push forward the country's needs, wants and fears.

Yes, we are independent and yes we are sovereign. But we must tie that in to the ideals of solidarity within the EU. We have come far, but there is still a long journey ahead.