AD lobbies for its candidate to be sixth voice in EP

Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday called on the government and the Nationalist Party to do their bit to ensure Malta acquires a sixth voice in the European Parliament through an observer seat.

And it was only logical and fair that AD's candidate in the last European elections, Arnold Cassola, would be granted this seat, AD chairman Harry Vassallo said during a news conference.

AD welcomed the initiative of Labour MEP John Attard Montalto, followed by the two other Labour MEPs, Joseph Muscat and Louis Grech, to lobby for Malta's observer seat in the European Parliament.

Though the two Nationalist MEPs seemed to be in favour of this request, their party appears to be unenthusiastic, Dr Vassallo said.

He explained the legal framework of the request for an observer seat. The number of MEPs for the 2004-2009 period had been fixed by the Nice Treaty and could not be amended. Yet, following the signing of the European Constitution Treaty in October, which agreed on a minimum threshold of six seats for each country, there is now a legal basis for the European Parliament to award Malta an observer seat, Dr Vassallo argued.

Alternattiva is building its case on a precedent. Dr Vassallo said that after the German reunification in 1990, the European Parliament took an ad hoc decision without any specific legal basis in European law to invite 12 observers as representatives of the people of East Germany in the EP. The 12 observers held their position for over four years until the European elections of 1994.

Dr Vassallo said Prof. Cassola was the only unelected candidate who was not eliminated in the June elections and, considering his reputation in EU affairs, it would be very odd if he were not selected as Malta's observer, should this be granted.

"This is another credibility test for the European and democratic credentials of the PN and the government. We augur that this lack of initiative is not motivated by sour grapes and mindless political pique," Dr Vassallo said.

The Nationalist MEPs should use the political muscle of the European People's Party to seal Malta's observer seat. "If we don't do it now, we risk having candidate countries like Romania obtaining observer status before we do," he warned.