Malta joining the European Union was a historic event, and greatly benefitted the country. From freedom of movement making travel to EU states easier, to the laying of the interconnector and economic benefits of forming part of the EU, there have been many positives.

Countless projects have benefitted from EU funds for instance. The EU project has also brought peace between the EU states, and collaboration in many fields. It has brought the European continent together more than ever before. The EU can negotiate trade deals as a bloc, giving it more strength in this regard and, looking to the future, negotiating trade as a bloc will be more important.

But, while there are many positives brought about by the EU, there are also issues which the EU needs to improve upon.

The EU has been criticized for taking a one-size-fits-all approach to certain issues, when this does not always work for all states. This is indeed a challenge as, while the end goal could be positive, not tailoring a situation enough for each member state specifically could have unforeseen consequences. This is why there needs to be more consideration of small states when it comes to EU policies. For example, there was a section of the EU Mobility package (the return of vehicle rule) which saw criticism locally. “This rule, which obliges heavy goods vehicles to return to their country of establishment every eight weeks, would have a negative impact on the environment, the transport sector and the economy of Malta, as an island State. The brunt of this would therefore be shouldered by the consumer,” the government had said in a statement last November. A case before the European Court of Justice had been opened over it.

EU Parliament President Roberta Metsola was asked about the general issue of one-size-fits-all policies during an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday. Asked whether the EU needs to be more sensitive to small states and give them more leeway, she said that Europe "must be big on the big things and small on the small things, while at the same time ensuring that all countries have the right capacity to negotiate legislation, the ability to stop legislation, and the competence to implement it. What we've seen over the past five years is a very different scenario. We have seen a lack of preparedness when proposals come out. We have seen a lack of preparedness when looking at the Maltese position, when it is negotiated and when it comes to the Parliament for a vote." She said that ministers sometimes sign up to legislation without having any idea what they are signing up for. "I think this is a lesson learned over the past five years and this is something we should really look at altogether as a country, all MEPs elected, the Permanent representation, all ministers who sign off on legislation.”

The different representatives of the country must work together to ensure that, when a piece of legislation would negatively impact the country, a coordinated effort to see things changed is made.

One cannot expect the EU to understand how a piece of legislation benefitting many states might, for instance, have a negative impact on a small country like Malta, which is why Malta’s representatives must be the ones to highlight and stress such issues when they arise.

The EU project has brought about many benefits to EU citizens, but there are still issues which need to be tackled and, as the EU now eyes possible growth and the inclusion of more countries, ensuring that directives and pieces of legislation do not unfairly impact some states more than others will be all the more important.