Brexit was not the future of the EU and could not be allowed to take over the total agenda, Prime Minster Joseph Muscat told the Diplomatic Corps this afternoon.

Speaking during the annual exchange of New Year greetings at Castille, Dr Muscat focused on the island’s vision for the EU council presidency: “Our vision is in no way hampered by the limitations, or preconceptions related to the fact that Malta is the EU’s smallest state. Success and size are not mutually exclusive,” he said.

The main notion driving all of Malta's presidency actions was the desire to bring the union closer to its citizens in full recognition of the challenges ahead. One of the lessons of 2016 had been that citizens needed to witness a clear sense of leadership, he said.

Dr Muscat told those present that the message needed to be communicated clearly with a view of regaining trust at grass roots level.

The difficulties were undeniable and “we must address them head on”.

“Part of the solution lies in addressing the question that has frequently been put to several of us: What direction is the EU taking, or, more concretely, what is the future of the EU?

Brexit is at the core of this discussion, he said, adding however that “Brexit is not the future of the EU and it cannot be allowed to take over the total agenda.”

Dr Muscat spoke of consensus among EU leaders and citizens that the union had proven its worth in the past and that it remained the best place to tackle existing and emergent challenges.

This discussion was too important to be undercut by decisions concerning the state of one member state, however important or influential that state could be, he said.

The achievements of the union in the past 60 years should be celebrated, Dr Muscat said, noting that Malta will bring to the EU table a sense of positive engagement that would hopefully register progress in the identified priorities that included migration, security, social inclusion and maritime affairs.

Events in Libya and stability in north Africa remained extremely urgent priorities, while the situation in the Middle East and Syria were also essential parts of our agenda.

“Over the past 12 months, security and migration have put European resilience to the test. Our citizens expect us to deliver results. We will continue to pursue the holistic approach that ensures a fair distribution of the migration burden, and better implementation of migration policies.

“We are very much aware that different views prevail when discussing the issue of migration and our presidency is geared at bringing about as much convergence as possible to achieve progress,” he continued.

He also noted that one of the priority actions towards this goal had been the agreement reached with Turkey, which to date was one of the few measures leading to visible results, he said.

Malta will support all efforts made to retain the utmost vigilance and ensure security by addressing regional and global challenges, while keeping our common values in full view, Dr Muscat said, adding that  the EU’s best weapon was effective diplomacy.

The diplomats later also exchanged greetings with Opposition leader Simon Busuttil at PN headquarters.

He said the Nationalist Party was extremely proud that Malta had the EU Council presidency and it was supportive of the agenda put forward by the government, especially on issues such as immigration.

“We hope that our presidency proves to be successful and that we can conform to the EU tradition that the smallest member states preside over some of the most successful presidencies.”

“Some still speak of the irony that our Presidency is led by a Prime Minister who had campaigned so strongly to keep us out of the Union in the first place. I do not. I believe that what my party did was not for itself but for our country and I am pleased to see that the country is still benefitting from the vision of my party four years after we went into Opposition. Of course, it is also good to see that we have persuaded our Prime Minister so well that he has now become an ardent supporter of the EU,” Dr Busuttil said.

Dr Busuttil explained that while he is an ardent supporter of the EU, he criticised the European Commission last week for not having spoken up about corruption in Malta.

“I criticised the Commission not just to reflect people’s disappointment but more importantly because I do not want to see our people distance themselves from the EU.

"Disconnect between the EU and the people, now we know, leads to a gradual, imperceptible walk towards the precipice of Brexit. And I do not want us to go there. I firmly believe that our place is in Europe. But it must be a Europe of the people, that listens to the people and that reacts to their concerns.

"Dismissing this concern with the mantra 'corruption is an internal matter' will, I’m afraid, no longer wash. Because people do not care what’s internal or external. People care about what’s right or wrong,” Dr Busuttil stressed.

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