Like me, you might not be partial to the scheme by which so-called golden passports are issued to foreign citizens, so that they become “Maltese”,  after they have paid in funds  as “investment” in the country and given proof they spend part of the year here. But there can hardly be any doubt that the Maltese government – and all other member governments of the EU – fully have the legal right to carry out this procedure. No rule in no part of the Union treaties can forbid this practice: to do it or not is rightfully considered as part of national sovereignty.

In fact, the European Commission which has declared itself totally against such a scheme, had and is having many problems to establish a watertight basis on which to present its position legally.

However this is what astonished me in the Commission’s approach: politically its arguments have centred on the statement that EU citizenship should not be up for sale, especially as this will amount to a threat to the EU’s security. However, this claim about security issues should apply to all other citizenship options: like for instance the Spanish scheme by which Jewish families which are descendants of Jewish people who were expelled from Spain in the late Middle Ages are automatically awarded citizenship. About this scheme, no security issues have been signalled.

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ACCOUNTABILITY

All members of a Parliament have the duty to account to the people for their actions. The best forum where to do this is the Parliament itself. Obviously in a democracy, those doing so will be savagely criticised and pilloried by political advdersaries. And there might be a lack of backing even from those having the same point of view.

Still, I consider the refusal to give an account of one’s actions – not only as an MP but also much more and as well in the case of a Minister – or else to try and slide away from this duty – is incorrect and unworthy behaviour. The case that preceded the one that recently became topical, dates back to an episode during which the Fenech Adami administration refused to account how it came to sell Mid-Med Bank. On that occasion, the government eventually saw the light of reason.

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GLASGOW

There seems to be little chance for the Glasgow conference on climate change to end up a resounding success. Too many countries having a substantive role on the issue will not be represented at the highest level. Meanwhile, the commitments which are being mentioned regarding measures that will be taken to safeguard the environment remain well in retreat of the targets proposed to contain the dangerous impacts of climate warming.

Still, UN experts and others have stepped up their warnings. As of now already, instead of being contained, those impacts seem to be have accellerated.

One shouldn’t get this wrong: the experts are being believed. Only, governments are keeping back from taking tough decisions that could bring in their wake negative to very negative political consequences. They’re more reluctant to face the latter than they are to face the consequences of what could happen in the future, when many of today’s political leaders will have died a natural death.