On 15 December 2001, The Laeken Declaration said the union needed further reform because “its citizens are calling for a clear, open, effective, democratically controlled Community approach”. The leaders believed it was essential to tackle the widespread disenchantment about the EU among its people.

Yet the manner of the treaty’s ratification included ignoring the results of the French and Dutch referendums; the brazen rehashing of the EU Constitution as the Lisbon Treaty; forcing Ireland, the only state to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty to vote again after it delivered the unacceptable NO verdict; the British Labour Party’s breaking of an electoral promise to hold a referendum on the treaty.

The open threats to and bullying of politicians such as Vaclav Klaus and countries such as Ireland into submission has served to worsen, not remove, that sense of disillusion. On 3 November 2009, at 15:00 CET, with a stroke of a pen, the Czech Republic, Malta and all the member states of the European Union ceased to exist as sovereign states.

For a former colony of the British empire which is now itself a vassal of the EU, this is particularly poignant. Now that we have been subsumed into a new empire, our independence did not even last 50 years. Barroso crowed that “the road has been a marathon of hurdles but the last hurdle is now removed,” naturally refraining from saying that the main “hurdle” has been the democratic process, which he and his ilk have trampled underfoot. This is, however, where the real test for the European Union begins. It can now no longer play the part of the elephant in the room, because having usurped all the functions of a fully fledged state – a constitution, a foreign policy, a supreme court and control over the monetary system, the people of Europe will finally realise that their freedoms have been taken or more accurately given away and a reaction will be inevitable in the years ahead.

Just to demonstrate who is now in control, on the same day that the European member states ceased to exist as sovereign states, the European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday that Italy violates educational and religious freedom by displaying crucifixes in classrooms. The Italian government will appeal the ruling, but of course there is now only one government and it is in Brussels and its ideological courts will make certain that now that our sovereignty has been erased, our identity will likewise be zealously extinguished.

Azzjoni Nazzjonali has repeatedly tried to open the eyes of our citizens to the true nature of the ‘European Project’. Sadly, it was never enough and the electorate still opted to believe those who were selling their freedom away for 30 pieces of silver.

John Spiteri

General Secretary

Azzjoni Nazzjonali