Ivan Camilleri, Brussels
Muscat quits European Parliament today
Labour leader Joseph Muscat will today end his four-year stint as an MEP in order to take his seat as a member of the House of Representatives in Malta and assume his role as Leader of the Opposition next week.
Dr Muscat is scheduled to meet the president of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Pottering in Brussels this afternoon to officially inform him of his decision to relinquish his seat as it will become incompatible with his new role as a member of the Maltese Parliament.
According to the European Parliament statute, an MEP cannot be a member of his national Parliament and will have to vacate his seat immediately this happens. According to the rules, if this is not done, the MEP's seat will automatically be made vacant after five working days of one becoming a member of a national Parliament.
Dr Muscat's resignation letter will be handed to Mr Pottering following today's vote at the European Parliament Plenary in Brussels on a report Dr Muscat has drawn up about a Commission proposal to amend the EU's VAT directive. The debate, in which Dr Muscat spoke for the last time as an MEP, was held late yesterday evening.
Dr Muscat's resignation will now kick-start the process of his co-option to Malta's Parliament. He is expected to fill the seat that will become vacant on the resignation of Labour MP Joseph Cuschieri. Mr Cuschieri has decided to give up his parliamentary seat to allow Dr Muscat to become Leader of the Opposition.
Asked by The Times yesterday whether Mr Cuschieri will be compensated for his gesture, Dr Muscat said he was helping the St Julians MP to find a suitable job and didn't exclude the eventual possibility of Mr Cuschieri being employed with the Labour Party in one if its entities. However, Dr Muscat ruled out that Mr Cuschieri was also being given a financial reward.
President Eddie Fenech Adami is expected to shortly issue a writ for the holding of a casual election to fill Dr Muscat's seat as an MEP.
Former Super 1 journalist Glenn Beddingfield and veteran MP Joe Debono Grech are front runners to win this seat for the remaining nine months of the European Parliament's legislature. Fresh elections are scheduled for next June 6.
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Liam Kelly
Sep 25th 2008, 22:58
@ L Galea and co.
The Maltese people elected the CANDIDATES for the whole of their 5 year mandate, if they fail to complete that mandate, then we should have the choice to freely choose again who we'd like.
Thats increadibly undemocratic.
l Galea
Sep 25th 2008, 17:20
@R. Camilleri
We need people like him to fight for our rights, not people who play lackey to whatever the eu dermocrant petty dictators decide.
R. Camilleri
Sep 25th 2008, 15:56
Joe Debono Grech in the European Parliament. ?????... I just shudder to think, if his past actions in the Maltese Parliament are anything to go by ............??
SIMON AMATO
Sep 25th 2008, 15:06
GOOD LUCK JOSEPH. HOPE YOUR EXPERIENCE IN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT HELPS YOU TO BRING MORE SUCCESSS TO MALTA. CONGRATS AND THANKS FOR ALL THE GOOD WORK YOUVE DONE IN THE EU PARLIAMENT. GD LUCK
v pace
Sep 25th 2008, 13:39
@franco farrugia
OF-COURSE THERE IS NOTHING WRONG IN WAITING TO GET A PENSION. LIKE YOU, i WOULD TOO.............BUT............WHY NOT SAY SO? AFTER ALL, JOE MUSCAT SHOULD LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND BE FORTRIGHT WITH HIS PEOPLE. ''MUSCAT REPORT'', YEAH RIGHT, PULL THE OTHER ONE, IT'S GOT BELLS ON.
Franco Farrugia
Sep 25th 2008, 12:56
@ v pace - What does the EParliamentary pension got to do with it. Similar to Prof. Arnold Cassola re' Italian Parliament, Dr Muscat has not completed a whole legislature, and thus, I do not think he would qualify for a full pension from Brussels.
And even if he did, what's so wrong about it? Wouldn't you have done the same thing? I certainly would have.
l Galea
Sep 25th 2008, 11:44
Because they are the candidates who obtained the greatest number of votes after those that were elected.
This does not mean that the other Labour candidates cannot submit their nominations, but that one of the two is likely to be declared as elected when the votes they inherit from Joseph Muscat are counted.
v pace
Sep 25th 2008, 11:27
please be honest for once, and tell us it was not the report you needed to finish before you resign, but your enormous pension entitlement. and we'll respect you for that candour.
Miguel Fenech
Sep 25th 2008, 11:15
Dear Liam Kelly, whilst understanding your concerns, I would like to point out that in 2004 the Maltese population chose 3 MLP and 2 PN representatives for the European Parliament. Anything different than this would be much more undemocratic than what you fear.
Liam Kelly
Sep 25th 2008, 10:41
Hold on,
Why are two labour figures 'front runners' to win the seat? Can someone please explain the re-election process here?
Surely a by-election should be held in such a circumstance.