Malta threatened with 'isolation' in EU

The report by Natalino Fenech, "Pat Cox warns against 'Maltese style' polarisation" (The Times, April 16), must have caused a lot of embarrassment to our political class in view of their insistence that they are going to the European Parliament and other EU institutions "to fight for Malta".

Pat Cox gave us a good indication of how the EU views us Maltese. Now that Malta has joined the European Union, EU bureaucrats feel free to express their true feelings about us - which they had kept well hidden up to April 12 last year.

The Speaker of the European Parliament ridiculed us as a people when he referred to "the Maltese polarised mentality" and that we see everything "as black or white". But other things he said should cause us more concern. Such as that "if MEPs stay in the national trench (i.e., "fighting for Malta") they will be fighting lost battles". Or when he commented: "If Euro MPs are parochial in attitude and mentality, the voice would be weakened".

But the real crunch of Mr Cox's sermon became evident when he made it plain to our future MEPs that "if they go to the European Parliament to speak only about their country, they will find themselves isolated and have no influence!"

How can our political parties now explain to their respective voters that they will be voting in June to send Maltese MEPs to the European Parliament, where, if they try to stand up vigorously to defend Malta's interests, they may find themselves "isolated and have no influence"?

I was not at all surprised by Mr Cox's remarks. Indeed, I have been insisting for so long that those campaigning for a Yes vote in the referendum were misinforming voters when depicting the EP as a place where the real interest of the Maltese would be enhanced because of "shared sovereignty". The EP, as Mr Cox rightly said, "is a different kind of parliament. There is no Government and Opposition as there are in national parliaments."

In fact, the European Parliament was first established in 1952 as a consultative body. It was then called the Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community. It was considered as little more than a debating society. It adopted the title European Parliament in 1962. The EP does not originate legislation. It only examines, amends or rejects legislation which is presented to it by the European Commission and the Council.

Within limits, the EP can modify proposals for expenditure within the budget, and, in certain cases, reject the Budget outright. The EP is consulted when new European Commissioners are appointed. And it may also sack the entire Commission if need be. Although there have been recent revisions to the legislative procedures, the EP is cut out from the decision-making process to a large extent in vital areas. In short, the EP has been allowed into the castle, but is not entrusted with the keys!

This is one of many reasons why voters throughout the EU do not really bother to vote in EP elections. They know that the vital decisions are not taken in the European Parliament - decisions which could affect their daily lives. These decisions are taken in the Council and the Commission.

The citizens' vote in the EP elections will not change that. Indeed, many purposely abstain from voting to let the EU bureaucrats know that they are disillusioned with how the EU has deve-loped. They see the EU as a distant institution which is more concerned about the overall picture of the Union (as Mr Cox has stressed in his comments) rather than the particular interest of a member state and its people.

Mr Cox has spelled this out very plainly and explicitly. My reply to him will be my abstention from voting in the EP election in June, although I will be going to vote for Labour candidates in the Mosta council election. As, I believe, the majority of voters in EU member states will be doing, except in Malta, where political pique and the political parties' "brainwashing" daily sessions on all the media, will result in the highest turnout in all member states, to the delight of Pat Cox and Gunter Verheugen!