Ellul Bonici: I told you so
Labour EP candidate Sharon Ellul Bonici said today that she had been proved right in saying that the Lisbon Treaty was not needed for Malta to be allocated a sixth seat in the European Parliament.
She noted that the EP has decided that the sixth candidate elected in Malta's EP elections, as well as 17 candidates in other countries, would be given observer status in the European Parliament before the Lisbon treaty was ratified.
“At last they have had to recognise the possibility of using the Croatia accession treaty if the Lisbon treaty fails. But there are even more possibilities. Malta’s sixth seat does not have to depend on any particular treaty,” she said.
She said that the Prime Minister had been among those who had accused her of working against Malta’s sixth seat by campaigning against the Lisbon treaty. At the time, she had pointed out that although the Lisbon treaty was a good vehicle for the change to be brought about, it was not the only one.
"The new EP seating composition, required after Bulgaria and Romania joined in 2007, was a result of the Severin-Lamassoure report. This was agreed in the European Parliament and subsequently by all member states and annexed to the Lisbon treaty for ratification.
"This amendment could be annexed to the Croatia accession treaty and it could also be agreed separately in Council for ratification in all member states. Moreover, the amendment would not require a referendum in Ireland since it relates purely to EU institutional affairs," Ms Ellul Bonici said.
"We should view the Lisbon treaty for what it is and stop describing it as 'the treaty that gives Malta the sixth seat' – this is a lopsided view, just like the one that said the ‘Nice treaty was an enlargement treaty’," Ms Ellul-Bonici concluded.
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V Micallef
May 28th 2009, 15:03
@Damian Galea - I think if you read the statement again you would understand it better. Or better still, you can go to www.sharon4malta.com and read the statement in full for better comprehension.
V Micallef
May 28th 2009, 14:59
@ Aleander Zammit - The shame is on the part of the journalist. It shows the level of respect he gets from MEPs. If an MEP asks for a brief on how to reply to a particular journalist - who in this case is known to him as the one who mistook the defunct ITS group for the ID group - then he has every right to do so. As long as the answers were factual and the MEP approves of them there is nothing wrong.
The comments are still coming from the MEP - as was the case here.
Joe Galea
May 28th 2009, 13:29
@Ernest Vella: You are so stuck on your NET TV and can't talk for yourself, you just parrot what the NET TV brainwashes you with. Yes the PL was in favour of partnership, but the referendum and elections were lost so the PL had to change it's EU policy towards one which reflects the new reality of Malta being part of EU. So the PL has committed itself to be on the forefront to make its utmost to work within the EU structures to achieve the best possible for Malta first and foremost. Now if this is wrong please enlighten us with your political experience and opinion, but please come up with valid arguments not with NET TV crap.
Regarding the 100000 & perks as an MEP, all of them will go for that too, however, Sharon's present employment within the EU is higher than that sum. With this in mind, everyone comes to his/her conclusion about Sharon's intentions.
Well done Sharon!! You are one of the most valid candidate having an extreme baggage of experience in the EU.
John Spiteri
May 28th 2009, 11:57
@Damian Galea - I think if you read the statement again you would understand it better. Or better still, you can go to www.sharon4malta.com and read the statement in full for better comprehension.
Ernest Vella
May 27th 2009, 20:18
these PL candidates are incredible....was not the Partnership that won in the referendum...how now are you so thirsty for votes...I hope the Labour supporters remember....and remember that a certain person continued to say that PL was winning when it was not true...and Ellul Bonici...the trucks idea is sublime to show what thirst you have to win the elections...were you not against EU....but for sure you are not against 100,000 euro and after 5 years an EU pension...good mind indeed
damian galea
May 27th 2009, 13:53
Sharon is again showing how little she has learnt in her years in Brussels. Only the Member States can decide to alter the composition of Parliament, the fact that there will be observers is totally irrelevant. We had Maltese observers in Parliament even before the referendum Yes vote that Sharon had opposed so fiercly.
And for those of you who think that we can do away with the lisbon treaty - the EU is like a heavy wood boat - if it does not swim and move, it may sink - lisbon is about the next move of the european project. It is not obvious that we stand to gain out of it, but it is obvious that it is fundamental for the EU to move forward in its evolution.
But Sharon might have other views of course. She might hold that we can just amend the number of MEPs, because for Eurosceptics Europe is a pick and choose equation. Convient free movement without integration, enjoying solidarity while keeping veto rights. Well, that is just not possible.
laurence schembri
May 27th 2009, 09:09
This is the type of candidates that really knows what is going on in the EU. She did challenge the accusations about the sixth seat, and once again she proved to be right.
Well done Sharon.
D.Caruana
May 27th 2009, 08:55
I agree!!!
All that most people know about the treaty is that it brings along the sixth seat.
Does that make the whole treaty good?????
NO.
F Aquilina
May 27th 2009, 06:50
If the Maltese want more of the rights they so cherish taken away from them, to be handed to faceless bureaucrats in Brussels,if they want their lives decided on a day to day basis by people who do not know our problems and have no idea of our customs or the way we live .then of course they must vote for the Lisbon treaty.
Ms Ellul Bonnici is often thought of as being hostile to Brussels, if she is.thenshe would not be alone in that. A little Eurosceptisism is a very healthy thing to have. The Lisbon Treaty is nothing more than a crude attempt to rid Europe of it's diversity and uniqueness and turn us into a pseudo one nation State answerable only a mob of self seeking faceless pen pushers who think they know us. They don't.
General De Gaulle said of France "How can you govern a Country that has 350 cheeses". How then can you govern a united Europe which has nearly as many languages,not to mention customs and problems peculiar to a particular place ,let alone a Country?. A sixth seat is pie in the sky. Nothing will change.
Aleander Zammit
May 26th 2009, 22:17
It wil be better if SEB issues a press erelease on her present contact with the euroscaptics as revealed last Sunday than trying to seek to take advantageof something she has had absolutely nothing to do with. Shame on her. The Maltese are not so gullable Sharon. You will soon learn your final lesson.
Alfred Cassar
May 26th 2009, 22:16
For now the 6th member will only be observer. If and only if, the Treaty is ratified then and only then our 6th member will become an effective member.
Insomma 3 out of 5 Malta members were only observers during the last 5 years