People should be more appreciative - Gonzi

The Maltese should be more appreciative of the government's work and, most of all, its lobby for Malta's EU accession instead of taking things for granted, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

"It is not at all for granted that I, as prime minister of this small country, sit around the same table with leaders of huge European countries. And you should feel proud to walk through the fast queue at airports and not be sidelined like citizens of non-EU states," Dr Gonzi said.

The Prime Minister was closing a half-day seminar at Le Meridien Phoenicia called "We are making a success of accession".

Throughout, a number of speakers addressed the changes which have taken place since Malta joined the EU in May 2004 and discussed whether the country's membership had made a difference to people's quality of life.

Dr Gonzi said he became worried when he heard people taking for granted the opportunities that had been created as a result of accession, which included increased choice and rights for consumers as well as opportunities for students and workers and new investment.

Thanks to the European Union, Malta was benefiting from funds with which the country would make a qualitative leap in its infrastructure and human resources. Besides having a wider choice of products thanks to competition, Maltese citizens were now safeguarded by civic rights, he said.

Most of all, Malta mattered more as an EU member when it came to dealing with countries outside the EU, as the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting experience last November had shown.

Dr Gonzi said though the first years could be difficult because they meant that Malta was going through a transition, foreign investment was increasing as the Dubai SmartCity@Malta deal had shown. The recently signed joint oil exploration with Tunisia was proof that Malta enjoyed a new status as an EU member, besides being an important Mediterranean country.

Dr Gonzi added that the EU was a guarantee of the country's success even in terms of the economy. "Do not believe me when I say that the Gross Domestic Product grew by 2.5 per cent last year. You should believe the EU which checks our statistics and gives its judgment on whether we are saying the truth," he said.

Dr Gonzi asked whether these changes would have been possible if Malta had stayed out of the EU.

According to Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil, the success of the first two years of membership could be measured against that very situation.

Dr Busuttil said people should keep in mind which political party had worked for Malta's accession and which party had tried to keep Malta out.

"Do we have a guarantee that the Labour Party will not take Malta out of the EU if returned to power?" Dr Busuttil asked.

It followed that Malta would only manage to reap the fruits of membership with the Nationalist Party in government, he said.

The other Nationalist MEP, David Casa, said the doom and gloom which the "No" camp had predicted in the run-up to the referendum, had not happened.

"This means that Malta is making the best of membership and that the country is reaping the fruits of EU membership," Mr Casa said.

Mr Casa said the country should learn from its mistakes and not let political bickering distract discussions on issues of national interest.

"Some have already started stirring controversy about the introduction of the euro. We should let nobody hinder our valuable work and continue informing the people," Mr Casa added.

Other speakers included Vince Farrugia, director-general of the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprise, GRTU, Union Haddiema Maghqudin general secretary Gejtu Vella and General Workers Union general secretary Tony Zarb.

Mr Farrugia said the general feeling among businesses was not positive. A small number of businesses, he said, were doing well. On the whole, however, Maltese business was going round in circles.

A vociferous Mr Vella said the country was failing to make the collective effort it made before accession and the impetus with which the civil society and the government had steered the country into the EU was no longer there.