Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi insisted that values must always come before votes when he addressed a meeting of the Bureau of The Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) in the European Parliament. The meeting is being held in Florence.

"We are living in an era where our values have been eroded, where relativism prevails in our societies and where even the definition of basic common values is often put to question," Dr Gonzi said.

"We should ask ourselves: what values lie at the root of the crises that our societies face? I think the answer to this question is fundamental: the financial, economic social and political crises are the sons and daughters of the collapse of some of our most precious values. The so called non-negotiable values became very much negotiable to the extent that truth became the orphan of a society designed only on one basic concept 'I want it all and I want it now'. 

THE HUMAN LIFE

Dr Gonzi said one question which everyone should be asking was: "How precious is the human life today?"

By precious, he explained, he did not  mean only the sanctity of the human person throughout the whole cycle of life but also the dignity of the human person

"Have we not - in a sense - subjected this human dignity to the dignity of the financial markets? What are our priorities? Those who have lost their jobs or are unable to continue to study at University because the fees are too high Or do we prefer to focus exclusively on keeping our credit rating agencies happy Or on keeping our critics at bay."

IMMIGRATION

Giving an example, Dr Gonzi said irregular immigration is a hot issue for everyone.

"It is a very hot issue for Malta. It is a hot issue for Europe. It can and does lose us votes. But where are our non negotiable values on this issue? If I get a call in the middle of the night informing me that a boat with eighty Somalis and Eritreans’ including five pregnant women, is in danger of sinking close to our shores, do I succumb to the populist approach and pretend that there is nothing I should do because this is somebody else's problem ? Or do I translate this non-negotiable value into practice, and do everything I can to save those lives at sea?

"What are we, as Europeans, doing about this problem? Where is the value of solidarity, the value of our respect for the sanctity of life and the dignity of the person even if the colour of his or her skin is different?

This argument applies also to the economic dimension. Do we have the courage to unlock the potential of our citizens that is blocked by unsustainable subsidies or are we afraid to address these crucial issues because they can be unpopular and will lose us votes? 

These are not hypothetical questions. They are real, current and crucial questions. For example, what will we be doing during the current negotiations for the financial perspectives of the European Union covering the next financial period? Are we truly prepared to unblock those subsidies that are outdated and divert those funds towards investment in our human resources? Or are we afraid to do so because this will create a crisis with one particular sector of our European economies?"

THE COMMON GOOD

Turning to the common good, Dr Gonzi asked those present whether they truly believed that the common good was a non negotiable value.

"If the answer is yes, then we should be prepared to lose votes and even to lose an election, if the end result of our decisions is in favour of the common good.

"In reality, my experience has always shown that taking the tough decisions will work politically in the long run even though there may be temporary negative effects.

Is it acceptable that some politicians tell people what they would like to hear rather than what the real situation is?

"And what about truth? Has truth become another victim of politics? Is it acceptable that some politicians tell people what they would like to hear rather than what the real situation is?"

Referring to the financial and economic crisis, Dr Gonzi asked what values lie at the root of the savage speculation that brought about the financial collapse of entire economies and put many a nation down on its knees. And what values were at the root of financial transactions that gave the impression that money could be earned by chance and by speculation rather than by sheer hard work? 

And what values were at the root of policies that gave the impression that public spending had no limits? 

Dr Gonzi said Europe needs to return to its values, back to basics.

"For it is only a return to our values that can ensure that we can prevent some of the crises that our societies are struggling with. 

"Yes, a return to human dignity. Yes, a return to the centrality of the human person in our political activity. Yes, a return to responsibility. Yes, a return to togetherness. Yes, a return to solidarity. Yes, a return to subsidiarity. Yes, a return to the common good," he said. 

However they first needed to refresh their ideas on what their values truly were, today. Which values had been lost, which ones had changed and which ones had remained? Which values were non-negotiable and which values were truly common?

"Unless we come to an understanding as to what is truly common for us all, then we can hardly expect to construct a common structure because our understanding of our common house will be different," Dr Gonzi said.