Labour tells leaders of reservations on EU treaty

Labour leader Alfred Sant has written to the President of Malta and to leaders within the European Union and formally informed them that the MLP's vote in favour of the ratification, by the Maltese Parliament, of the Constitution for Europe was conditioned by five reservations.

Dr Sant attached a copy of the party's Declaration of Reservations to the letters which were sent to President Eddie Fenech Adami, the General Secretary of the United Nations Kofi Annan, the president of the Council of the European Union Tony Blair, the President of the EU Commission José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Parliament Josep Borrell Fontelles, the president of the Party of the European Socialists Paul Nyrup Rasmussen and the general secretary of the International Socialists Luis Ayala.

He informed them that: "The vote of the Labour opposition in favour of the ratification by the Maltese Parliament of the treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe is intimately tied with the understanding that the treaty incorporates certain points."

The five points, or reservations, outlined were: That the treaty does not prejudice the constitutional neutrality of Malta; That the treaty does not prejudice those sections of the Constitution of Malta that, in order to be amended, require a vote by two-thirds of the MPs as these matters fall outside the competence of the EU as laid down in the Athens Treaty;

That, considering that Malta is an island and faces the need to raise its level of economic expansion and employment, this situation will be given full consideration in the interpretation and implementation of specified articles in the treaty;

That the treaty does not prejudice Malta's autonomy in the implementation of social welfare policies; and that Malta will retain its autonomy in the implementation of a regional policy best suited to the particular circumstance of Gozo.

MLP concluded the declaration by adding that "if a preceding government would have consented that Malta be involved in political initiatives that prejudice the conditions of governance which follow from the above points - especially in matters dealing with neutrality and the integrity of the Constitution of Malta - a Labour government will withdraw from such initiative without delay".