Not to sound too pessimistic, best call them challenges. But these challenges that Europe must now face are tough and huge.

Immigration and terrorism are among the crucial areas that most need responses drafted on a continental scale. Even so they are not triggering a widespread and genuine sense of cooperation. Instead, suspicions and doubts undermine the drafting of common policies, felt as effective and fair.

Generally, the European economy is failing to promote sufficient investment and to create enough jobs. The strongest guideline for economic policy remains consolidation, which has meant up to now austerity, bringing in its wake big social burdens.

In order to remain in the European Union, the UK is demanding changes in its membership arrangements. The other members wish the UK to stay. Yet the changes being asked for would badly affect other countries. And whatever diplomatic compromise is reached, how would the British people vote in the referendum due to be called to decide on UK membership?

On the one hand, the European Union is negotiating an agreement with the US about a common area for commerce and investment between the two sides. On the other, with Russia, it is imposing and experiencing sanctions. Among memberstates of the Union, agreement regarding these two “projects” is shallow, indeed superficial.

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Maltese challenges

During 2015, we registered substantial economic growth. How is this momentum going to be maintained? Much of it came from growth in services, especially in financial activities and tourism. In addition to developing new services, we need to boost manufacturing.

Technical education in electric, electronic and mechanical engineering needs to be given ever increasing importance. In areas where we formerly had excellently trained people, we cannot afford now to depend on imported foreign labour. Engineering skills need to reacquire the prestige and remuneration that they enjoyed in the past.

Meanwhile, there has been a drastic change in the needs of the Maltese people. Social policy has to be updated over the range of benefits and safeguards it provides, in order to cover better the current needs of the poor and the elderly.

National security has understandably become a cause for concern, by way of external threats and internal happenings. It has to be considerably reinforced.

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Wishes

The following are wishes, not New Year resolutions:

--That the people of Malta and Gozo while getting to understand better how they are affected by developments in Europe, do so without letting stars get in their eyes.

--That in Gozo new direct investment is generated by which to create employment in the island.

--That traffic problems are defused so that driving in Malta stops being a procedure by which to become a nervous wreck.

--That Maltese arts, not least literature, gain a wider and more popular recognition as an expression of the national identity.

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All the best for a Prosperous New Year to everybody.