EU membership was a massive success story for Malta and the Maltese, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this morning at a conference to make the eighth anniversary of accession.

The proof of the pudding was in the eating, he said, and a lot of  people were eating, including some who had at first said they did not like the pudding."

Speaking at Azad in Valletta, Dr Gonzi said accession was a hugely important milestone in Malta's history.

"Membership has brought about a sea change in the way we do things," Dr Gonzi said.

He regretted Labour's strong opposition to membership. "We had to swim against the opinion of someone who was obviously never competent enough to understand what the EU was about," Dr Gonzi said in what was taken to mean a reference to Alfred Sant.

It was very positive, he added, that there was now a political consensus that EU membership was a good thing.

In his address Dr Gonzi thanked all those who had worked for accession and those who represented Malta in the EU institutions, including Commissioners Joe Borg and John Dalli and Nationalist and Labour MEPs.

Dr Gonzi also defended Malta's membership of the eurozone, saying it helped Malta to weather the financial storm, although a price was paid.

Malta, he added, agreed on the need for fiscal discipline but was of the view that fiscal consolidation must go hand in hand with economic growth.

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