A question posed recently by a journalist was, I thought, extremely intriguing: Have the Maltese fallen out of love with the EU? she asked.

Eurobarometer, the public opinion poll which regularly reports about the attitudes of Europeans towards the EU, had just been published. It showed a substantial decrease in the number of Maltese citizens having a favourable opinion about the Union.

Actually, today and in the past, were the Maltese ever “in love” with the EU?

Over the years, even those who regarded it with the deepest devotion, appeared more likely to be holding the EU in reverence and admiration. They wanted to be part of it so that then this country would gain respect and prestige, as they believed, plus benefit from the Union’s funds and share in its prosperity.

This hardly resembled love. For I imagine that if the Maltese (and Gozitan) people really shared a burning love for the EU, they would greatly wish to follow what was happening to Europeans and to the Union’s institutions. Still, in general, their major interest in what is going on in Europe remained focussed on football.

A genuine interest in European affairs has hardly been evident over the years.

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STRATEGY

One cannot but be very pleased when some study about Gozo is carried out or when a new project is announced for the island. Gozo deserves greater attention than it is usually accorded. Although under a Labour administration, Gozitan living standards continued to improve, there is a need for more reflection about whether the economic and social developments of the past fifty years are sustainable.

A document entitled the “Gozo Regional Development Strategy” has just been published by the Gozo Regional Council. Just on the basis of its name, the initiative can only be welcome. For quite some time now, my belief has been that while in full respect of the unitary character of the Maltese state as a whole, Gozo would best be governed as a region.  And the document proposes many initiatives that are simply praiseworthy.

Indeed the thrust of the proposed document is admirable. However, a strategy cannot just consist of a list of objectives. It should also propose in a concrete manner what decisional, economic, social, legislative and financial mechanisms will be needed to implement them.

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TOURISM RECORDS

Tourism records are being broken this year. The increase in tourist arrivals is a big encouragement following the brutal shutdown caused by Covid and the uncertainties that the war in Ukraine began to whip up. This success has kept our economy buoyant.

On the other hand, one is reminded of the call to further promote quality tourism while maintaining a balance between the number of arrivals and the need for them to be of a “better” quality. 

Yet meanwhile, if I understand well ongoing news reports, the construction of new hotels (which would then increase the need for more tourist arrivals) is to proceed at full swing, with new big hotels scheduled for St Julian’s, Gżira, Smart City and I do not know where else.

In this sector, as in most others, it would be nice if the left hand knows what the right hand is doing.