It was back in 1987 when our paths first crossed. He was an Aloysian and I was an Edwardian, not destined to be the best of buddies and with different philosophical backgrounds. For the first time in years, the University had just re-opened its courses in line with European university academic semesters in October.

The law course was re-opened that year, as it had opened eight months earlier in the February, however this time it had opened without a numerus clausus. From the 12 students that had entered the law course in February of 1987, October saw well over a hundred students enrolling, some one hundred and twenty, all contributing in no small way to the hive of activity on campus. Coining those years as Bryan Adams did, those were surely the best days of my life. Freedom, friends and experiences came in abundance.

Simon and myself were two of the many students on campus. I must say our course year was not lacking in talent, having three eventual serving magistrates, Magistrate Audrey Demicoli, Magistrate Edwina Grima and Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia, and one judge, Justice Anthony Ellul. There were also still-serving ambassadors and a number of others occupying prominent posts in civil society.

Politics did not miss out on the talent of our course. Over the years we have had a number of colleagues from our year who made it to the House of Parliament on either side of the political fence, notably Joe Sammut and Angelo Farrugia for the Labour Party and Beppe Fenech Adami for the Nationalist Party, apart from numerous others who have stood as candidates.

Today our course year of ’87 can boast that it has also provided two of the current deputy leaders of the political parties represented in Parliament. Either through Simon or Anglu, soon Malta will also have a deputy prime minister courtesy of our law course year.

Simon’s first foray into politics happened during his student days at the University of Malta, by participating in the Studenti Demokristjani Maltin. Simon, David Agius and I spent hour upon hour focusing on, discussing and researching different political philosophies and understanding Christian Democratic ideology, with its focus on the individual.

Simon was always interested in civil society and its rights, a firm believer that no country could live in splendid isolation. His vision of Malta taking its place in the European Union was born in his early student days. He had long decided that this would become his mission and our proceeding to Sussex University was a further determining step in the culmination of this vision. It was back in September of 1992 when we went to the South of England to pursue our studies in what was to become the core factor in his career. Under the tutorship of Helen Wallace, then advisor to Prime Minister John Major on European integration (Edinburgh summit) and Mary Kaldor, we analysed the European Community and its future. The concept of the European Union was still one in the making, having been formally introduced in November 1993 as a result of the Maastricht Treaty.

Those were interesting times, and many were the discussions we had regarding whether Malta would ever join the Union due to its size, cultural identity and economic status. Simon was a vociferous student who left no stone unturned in his arguments that Malta had its place within the European Union-in-the-making. He firmly and consistently argued that it was not size that mattered and that we either believed that we were all Europeans and that we wanted a Union for all, or the Union would be creating a Europe for and of the elite, which would be a concept destined for failure from birth. It took a lot of convincing to get many of our fellow colleagues on board with the idea that Malta’s standpoint for the future was with the Union and that the Union would continue to grow and develop much more. Time has proved Simon right.  

Back in Malta after his post-graduate studies, Simon ventured headfirst into the European lobby. He fought arduously for years, in both his private and professional capacity, to keep the European ideal flying high. Few at the time believed that Malta would ever make it, and Simon can proudly say that he was one of those few.

Knowledgeable on the subject, he was asked to form part of the team which would negotiate Malta’s entry into the Union, once negotiations commenced. Concurrently, he also took on the role of head of the Information Centre established by the government to inform the public of ongoing discussions and positions that had been agreed upon. He concluded both jobs with great success.

His next step was to venture into frontline politics, through his acceptance of the invitation to contest the first European Parliament election held in Malta. This decision did not come easy, since participation in politics does not come easily to anybody, let alone participation in European politics, which requires days and days being spent abroad. He accepted this public commitment and I am quite sure that a large majority would agree with me that he has carried Malta’s reputation with great dignity. He worked incessantly with the Permanent Representation to ensure that Malta did not lose out on the many opportunities that the European Union offers its citizens. In a matter of years, he has risen to the highest of levels within the Union, going as far as occupying the European People’s Party Coordination for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, which is the largest group within the European Parliament with 271 members, apart from, for eight and a half years, holding the post of Head of the Maltese delegation in the European Peoples’ Party.       

His recent venture into local politics seemed inevitable, according to some, although many question whether Malta will lose out in strength within the European Parliament as a result of his departure. Simon, however, will surely view this from a positive perspective. Malta and the European Union are no longer – and will never be – distinct. The future of our local politics and its success lies in the ability to understand and master the intricate relationship between the two. Malta is, more than ever, dependent on the European Union, and those who think that it may live without the Union and its membership, are not aware of the realities that severing ties with the Union would bring. It is time to further endeavour to maximise the opportunities beyond our shores and to strengthen Malta’s economic wellbeing.

‘Splendid isolation’ is a term of the past. Simon realised this years before many others, and he always remained firm in his beliefs. I am sure his European experience will be beneficial to his new responsibilities and, more importantly, to Malta.