It could well turn out to be the most significant event in Maltese history this century: the ‘big bang’ enlargement of the EU on May 1, 2004, when the bloc expanded from 15 to 25 members – including Malta.

Our entry into the EU was a remarkable achievement. Malta was a British colony until 1964, and a few years after independence it went through a difficult period under a number of doctrinaire Socialist governments where democracy and the rule of law were threatened, the economy was centrally controlled and our foreign policy looked towards Communist countries and Gaddafi’s Libya.

All this changed in 1987 thanks to the election of the Nationalist Party and Eddie Fenech Adami, who embarked upon an unwavering and relentless mission to anchor Malta within Europe.

After achieving the PN’s objective seemingly against so many odds, Dr Fenech Adami had described membership as a “homecoming”. But perhaps even he did not fully realise how profound that homecoming would turn out to be.

Malta’s EU membership has strengthened our democracy, placed us firmly within the European family of nations and given us a security safety net. It has meant better choices and rights for consumers, a growth in our GDP per capita, passport-free travel within Schengen, unprecedented opportunities for students to study at European universities, the right to work and reside in Europe, a boost for Malta’s global stature and, of course, funds for vital projects.

In 2003, the Labour Party had vehemently opposed membership. But today Joseph Muscat is firmly committed to Malta’s place in Europe, though its initial ‘us versus them’ attitude, the citizenship fiasco, and its pushback and veto threat over irregular migration showed it was still finding its feet over how an EU member state should behave.

Those against Malta’s EU membership had made ridiculous claims: our manufacturing sector would collapse, our SMEs would not be able to compete in the single market, we would lose our sovereignty and independence, Malta would for forced to introduce abortion and take part in foreign wars. None of this scaremongering materialised.

In fact, anything the island has done since – that does not form part of its obligations to the Union – has been of its own volition. If the Maltese have become more European in their attitude to issues like divorce and civil unions, it is because they have wanted it this way and not because Brussels forced them.

Malta received generous EU funds over the past 10 years which have gone towards job creation, education, the environment, energy, the infrastructure, heritage, agriculture and industrial restructuring. Could the funds have been better exploited? Most certainly, but can anyone today imagine what state Malta would be in without them?

Malta’s decision to join the eurozone on January 1, 2008, an important accomplishment by then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, has also proven to be a success. Besides lowering costs for businesses and making life easier for consumers and travellers, our adoption of the euro introduced fiscal prudence in Malta’s public finances.

There have also been some disappointments with our EU membership; although we have received EU funds to deal with the problem of irregular migration our European counterparts have ignored their obligations when it comes to burden sharing.

Meanwhile, the country still has some way to go to reach the environmental standards expected of an EU member state, and hunting remains a problem which this government refuses to take seriously.

As with anything else, EU membership did not bring utopia. Nothing ever will. But it did transform this tiny island and has made it a much better place to live. Those who worked to bring this about deserve credit and the nation’s thanks for this.