There was once, in the weekend of 24 May, the European Parliament elections.

We all know, or think we know, the results of that pan-European consultation. First of all, voter participation, though still low, actually increased over the previous showing. Secondly, the Far-Left and the Far-Right parties, although they increased their votes, did not lead to the rout that was predicted. And these extremist fringes have run into problems when it came to presenting a common front.

The main political parties, instead of bickering and entering into full-frontal clashes, have collaborated even to the point of agreeing on a Commission-president designate, Jean-Claude Juncker, with possible collaboration regarding other appointments.

Now the post-election issue gets to the second tier of the EU decision-making process, that is the member states in the European Council, which starts its meetings today. The decision-making process in the EU is vastly different from that of other countries or federal states, which makes it all the more complicated, but historically understandable.

The representatives of the national governments, the Council, are the second leg and the relationship with the European Parliament is still rather uncharted.

One of the tasks in the Council that is meeting today is to appoint the head of the European Commission  who, once confirmed, will ask the Member States to appoint their Commissioners who go through the vetting process in the Parliament before becoming effective Commissioners hopefully by October. It is only then that the vast EU machine can start functioning again.

Meanwhile, the 500 million people in the EU must continue with their lives which are not at all that grand, considering the many problems they are facing, from unemployment, anaemic growth, huge influx of asylum seekers, problems of integration, etc. It is true that the European economy as a whole and the euro in particular, are in much better shape than they were just a few years ago when people were speculating that the euro was a doomed experiment and countries were about to exit from the euro, but that does not mean Europe is out of the rapids. Considered as a whole, on a continental basis, the EU is not doing as well as the US, for example, although other blocs, such as the BRICS, have faltered by the way.

There are wide divergences of views inside Europe, and they are expected to be aired at the Council, regarding the way forward. We can summarise them as between the Renzi-Hollande view that Europe must focus on growth even if that means infringing once again the Stability and Growth Part benchmarks and, on the other hand, the Merkel-Schaeuble view that to tamper with the Pact risks pulling the EU back to the rocks from which, and at a huge cost, it has emerged.

And of course there is the UK issue with David Cameron being forced by the euro-sceptics inside his party and the rise of UKIP support, to concede a crucial referendum in the coming months which may see the UK choosing to exit the EU.

There is thus all this and more. The foreign ministers have agreed earlier this week that Albania may begin accession negotiations. How tiny Malta can join up with Italy to force attention on tackling the immigrants’ influx remains, of course, to be seen.

While the rest of Malta, of Europe and of the world are focused on the World Cup, a far more important game is about to begin.