Malta's weakness on Swiss-Libyan spat

I refer to the report Malta's Schengen Membership "Goes Against Constitution" (March 16), which carries the comments by former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici. I am referring in particular to the background notes given in the report, about the action which our Foreign Affairs Minister, Tonio Borg, proposes to take.

First of all, this dispute has been dragging on for weeks already and our government has been very busy in holding talks about the difficulties Malta is facing because of Switzerland's wrong use of the Schengen rules. But the talks have been worthless; they have had no result.

Now Dr Borg will be proposing on March 22, if the situation persists, "that Schengen countries that felt Switzerland had acted incorrectly should disregard the blacklist".

How utterly weak-kneed. Can't Malta do something a bit more direct? Such as declaring it is no longer bound by the Schengen rules, at least while this spat between Switzerland and Libya continues? Malta's commercial interests are seriously damaged by the Swiss action. No other country is suffering as much as Malta and none of our EU friends is helping us.

Maltese jobs are seriously threatened.

Dr Borg's proposal is seriously flawed. He expects 24 other Schengen countries (the total is 26, I believe, including Malta and Switzerland) to fall in line with the Maltese proposal. Let us hope they do. But if they don't?

Do we accept the situation and remain where we are or do we go it alone until the problem is resolved?

Has Malta absolutely no leverage in the EU? Have we sold our souls to Brussels?