There seems to be light at the end of the political tunnel - at least on the international stage - as the Maltese MEPs convening yesterday for the first plenary session of the enlarged European Parliament underlined the need to work together if they are to squeeze out the best policies for the benefit of Malta.
It was however a somewhat bittersweet baptism for Socialist MEP John Attard Montalto who was forced to skip yesterday morning's voting session for the Parliament's president after a bout of food poisoning. A paler Dr Attard Montalto appeared in the afternoon to cast his vote for the post of vice-president.
Simon Busuttil, David Casa, Louis Grech and Joseph Muscat joined their European Popular Party and Socialist counterparts to vote in Josep Borrell, a Spanish Socialist, as the new president of the European Parliament.
The Strasbourg Parliament was a hive of activity as 732 MEPs and hundreds of officials assembled for the meeting. Suffice it to say that there was not enough space in the press room to accommodate the large number of journalists. But Parliament officials believe it will be business as usual once the dust has settled.
The Maltese MEPs have already prepared the groundwork for the five-year term. They recently met Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to decide on which committees they could contribute to most. Each MEP can sit on two committees though it would only be known whether they have been accepted by Thursday.
The European People's Party will chair eight committees, including budget and foreign affairs, while the Socialists will chair six.
Mr Casa spoke of the importance of building contacts with other MEPs, even from other political groupings, to rally support. He said the Maltese MEPs would be discussing informally a way between themselves to ensure a smooth modus operandi and to keep each other informed of developments.
"Here we are not Nationalist or Labour MEPs. We simply can't afford to politicise matters and in the process lose the backing of others. And I believe that all five of us are in that same frame of mind. So no, there will be no squabbling among us," Mr Casa said.
Dr Busuttil, who will be addressing the plenary session today, agreed and said that this was a new way of consensus: "Ultimately though it takes two to tango and I'm prepared to make the first move," Dr Busuttil said.
A lot of lobbying was already taking place behind the scenes, as evidenced by the EPP's and Socialists' decision to share the presidency of the European Parliament.
"Over here we have to work differently, even if we have to ensure that we will work in Malta's interests," Dr Busuttil said.
The Socialist MEPs are on the same wavelength. "We are not here to wave any flags but to work and lobby. Of course, there will be divisions on political issues but that's different. And we believe we can make a lot of inroads through the committees," Mr Grech said.
Mr Muscat underlined the importance for the Maltese MEPs not to assume a role of "jack of all trades" but rather to focus on those issues in which they know they could deliver. He said he believed the presidency of Mr Borrell, a Spanish MEP, would increase the Euro-Mediterranean dimension.