MP deplores government silence on EU constitution

Labour MP George Vella has complained in Parliament over lack of consultation by the government on EU issues, notably the current debate on the European constitution.

He said when speaking on the adjournment, that although there was a consensus on foreign affairs, this subject was barely debated in the House.

National Parliaments were discussing issues of foreign affairs regularly and COSAC, the committee of EU Foreign Affairs Committees was stressing the importance of increasingly involving national parliaments in EU decisions.

Even the proposed constitutional treaty included a protocol proposing to give national parliaments new rights, recognition and powers. In Malta there had been no debate, official or unofficial, on the draft constitution, which will be the subject of a European Council meeting today and tomorrow. The issue was barely discussed in the European and Foreign Affairs Committee. Yet these days were very important for the future of Europe.

It was not acceptable for the country not to do anything and expect matters to go in its favour. It would be far better if the government presents itself as representing the whole Maltese Parliament and not just itself.

The government had not even sent its representative to the Future of Europe conference. A dossier he was given before the conference, included all the EU leaders' thoughts about the future of the constitution, except the Maltese government's.

If the government did not want to go public about certain matters, it should have discussed these with the opposition in confidence.

A questionnaire sent to all EU governments by German Chancellor Angela Merkel would have served as a good basis for debate, if not in public, at least in confidence. But the opposition was not even told how the questionnaire was answered.

It was not a good sign that the government was going to Brussels with a secret policy. What steps was the government to take on the EU constitution? What were the red lines?